Resignations

Forcing a resignation kills your legal defense

06/01/2003

Here’s even more incentive to end harassment at the earliest opportunity: A new court ruling says employers could give up their best defense in court if they allow workers to suffer …

One ‘come-on’ can equal sexual harassment

03/01/2003

Don’t hesitate to discipline first-time sexual-harassment violators. Even one outrageous comment or act, if severe enough, can make your company liable for fostering …

Expect more ethical, financial scrutiny from job candidates

01/01/2003

Expect to open your books and answer more questions about your financial practices. Reason: Sixty-nine percent of executive recruits say they’ll look more closely at the financial statements of potential employers, …

Don’t fight reservist reinstatement: You’ll lose

12/01/2002

Now is not the time for your company to appear unpatriotic, in the public’s eye or before a judge. As a recent ruling shows, courts are bending over backward to give …

Less prestigious job leads to constructive discharge

11/01/2002

After a top-performing African-American server at Denny’s was transferred to a different location, the restaurant unexpectedly reassigned her to busing tables. She walked off the job and sued, alleging that she …

Worker can’t sue for job switch if you have legitimate reasons

10/01/2002

Barbara Policastro was a Northwest Airlines’ sales rep whose territory covered Cincinnati, where she lived. She also had to spend about five days a month servicing cities in northern Kentucky about …

Just Say No to Rescinded Resignation

09/01/2002

Q. We have an employee who submitted a dated, signed resignation letter but then changed her mind and wanted the letter back. She was not a good employee, but we let her rescind the letter because we thought we’d be on shaky legal ground. Could we have held her to it? —M.L., Ohio

Preach secular management: Train supervisors to shun religious bias

08/01/2002

When a city-run youth program hired Cheryl Campos as a counselor, it promised her a $10,000 bonus for support-group work as well as a promotion to assistant director within six months. …

Employee’s resignation stops your FMLA obligation

05/01/2002

Q. One of our managers resigned a month ago, but she applied for FMLA leave a day before her resignation. Are we under any obligation to return her to a position she resigned from? Are we obligated to offer her a job when FMLA expires? —T.K., Massachusetts

Rehiring Is Your Call

04/01/2002

Q. We have a number of Hispanic employees who speak little or no English. One of these employees recently resigned through a Spanish-speaking co-worker acting as interpreter. She quit after we denied a raise because of problems with her timecard. Her mother called and demanded that we rehire her daughter. Are we under any legal obligation to rehire? —W.K., Maryland