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Texas

DOL awards Texas $15 million for Hurricane Ike recovery

11/04/2008

The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded the state of Texas a $15.8 million grant to help the Texas Workforce Commission with Hurricane Ike recovery efforts.

Holiday parties: Don’t let best of times become worst of times

10/07/2008

By exerting proper control over your holiday party this year, you can reduce everyone’s worries concerning the annual fete. Most important, careful planning will help your company avoid lawsuits as you ring in the New Year.

Document when you first told worker of termination

10/06/2008

Employees who have been terminated don’t have long to file a complaint about alleged discrimination. Employers that suspect they might be sued can capitalize on the short statute of limitations by starting the clock as soon as possible. Here’s how …

OK to fire slackers even if out on FMLA leave

10/06/2008

It’s a myth that being off on FMLA leave means an employee can’t be terminated. The employee can be—as long as the employer has good reasons for the termination. Being on FMLA leave doesn’t give someone immunity from being fired for incompetence …

DOL grills tortilla maker, gets agreement on back pay

10/06/2008

De Maiz Tortilleria, a tortilla production company in Pharr, Texas, has agreed to pay $401,314 in back wages to 133 employees following a U.S. Department of Labor investigation looking into allegations it violated the FLSA …

Policy not enough: Stamp out co-worker harassment or prepare for court

10/06/2008

It takes more than having a written policy to avoid liability for sexual harassment. If you back up your policy with regular training and quickly fix any harassment problems that come to your attention, chances are you won’t be liable unless the harasser was a supervisor and the employee suffered an adverse employment action …

Need a good reason to settle? How about saving huge attorneys’ fees?

10/06/2008

Employers who end up losing discrimination lawsuits don’t just pay their own legal fees—they often pay the winning side’s fees, too. Always consider the ultimate cost before rejecting a settlement offer, or before pushing your own attorneys to appeal a case.

Bilingual employees invaluable to you? Don’t punish them for their special skills

10/06/2008

Texas has a large number of Spanish-speaking residents, and a workforce that can effectively communicate with those residents can be a prized commodity. But before you thrust additional work on Hispanic employees who can communicate with customers who don’t speak English well, consider the following case …

Court: Same-sex come-on isn’t worth $90,000

10/06/2008

What’s an attempted liaison by a same-sex manager worth in Texas? A jury said $90,000. Now a Texas appeals court has reversed that decision …

Reason prevails: No need to warn of obvious hazards

10/06/2008

Employers who don’t sign up for the Texas workers’ compensation system can be sued directly by employees who are injured on the job. But that doesn’t mean every workplace accident will result in a damaging lawsuit judgment …