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  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
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Q&A

Workers Can Limit Payments to Union

07/01/2001

Q. We recently lost a union election, 6-3. What can employees who did not want any part of the union do now? Is there any way for them to get out of this? —K.F., Pennsylvania

Limit Employees’ Use of Phone While Driving

07/01/2001

Q. The animal care officers who work for us spend 80 percent of their time driving and responding to rescue calls via cell phone. Requiring them to pull off the road while talking on their phones wouldn’t work. Is there another way to limit our liability? —D.R., Florida

Vacation policy could jeopardize at-Will rights

06/01/2001

Q. Under our written company policy, an employee who fails to give 20 working days’ notice before resigning forfeits any earned vacation days. Is this policy lawful? —C.R., Wisconsin

Take all steps needed for accurate time records

06/01/2001

Q. About a year ago, our company replaced manual time clocks and punch cards with a computerized system, so each employee would punch in and out on the computer. The information is downloaded directly to the payroll department. Despite numerous reminders, from stickers to manager meetings, we still have a chronic problem of employees failing to clock in or out of work. Any suggestions? —M.M., Minnesota

Maternity leave repayment may be discriminatory

06/01/2001

Q. Our maternity leave policy offers paid leave for female employees who plan to return to work after the birth of the child. If the employee quits before returning to work, she’s required to reimburse the company for the paid leave. Is this lawful? —A.C., Maryland

Employees must know company disclosure limits

06/01/2001

Q. During a recent Internet chat room exchange, an individual self-identified as an employee came to our company’s defense over a recent drop in stock price. The employee came dangerously close to disclosing information about earnings that were not yet public. What should we do? —C.F., New Jersey

Dress code can differentiate among workers’ positions

05/01/2001

Q. Can we set a dress code policy that bars visible tattoos and multiple piercing on our receptionist but not other workers who have less public contact? —D.O., Maryland

Keep pay in line with work performed

05/01/2001

Q. A salaried supervisor was unable to handle the stress of his job and requested a transfer. Six months ago, we moved him to a rank-and-file hourly position, but we left him at the higher salary. I think I’m being unfair to the other co-workers in that position. May I reduce his wages to the hourly rate? —C.T., Iowa

Paying for holiday work can endanger exempt status

05/01/2001

Q. Our company policy says employees who work on holidays are paid time-and-a-half. If an exempt employee works on a holiday, can I pay him time-and-a-half? —R.E., Iowa

Don’t let timecard mistake delay prompt payments

05/01/2001

Q. Because of a problem with timecards, we couldn’t tell how much pay we owed some employees. What is our obligation to pay employees if we can’t determine the exact number of hours worked? Is there any penalty for the delayed payment? — I.V., Wisconsin