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Ask the Attorney Archives

Does this FMLA loophole give employees unlimited leave?

04/21/2014
Q: “FMLA entitles qualified employees to 12 weeks of leave per year, but for an hourly staff member who wants to use intermittent FMLA, do we simply track the exact hours each day during the year she is off work, and once those hours add up to a 12-week total, it ends? If so, this means someone could be out for a whole year, every year..?” – Kary, Maryland

How do we craft an e-signature policy?

04/21/2014

Q: “Do you have a template for a policy on electronic signatures?” – Jerome, Minnesota

What’s the best way to move seasonal workers into and out of our payroll system?

04/21/2014
Q: “Our restaurant chain employs college students while they are home during winter/summer breaks. We do not provide significant benefits to part-time employees regardless of tenure, and these individuals will always be part-time. What are the pros and cons of leaving them active in the system vs. rehiring them as seasonal workers each summer and winter?” – Lynn, Missouri

When a manager moonlights within the company, how do we pay her?

04/07/2014

Q: Our salaried marketing manager (who does not have any direct reports) decided to work a couple of Saturdays as a bartender at our business to supplement her income, despite our policy discouraging it except in emergencies. It is her expectation that in addition to her salary, she will receive the hourly rate for hours bartending, and keep her tips. What is the best practice regarding managers receiving tips? Our restaurant managers [when required to fill in for absent workers] only keep their tips if they are the only one working that day; otherwise they usually distribute them to whichever tipped employees are working that day. Does the manager who is customarily required to cover for his or her staff get treated differently than the manager who does not? Are there other associated legalities I need to be aware of? – Heidi, Missouri

To whom may we give payroll information when an employee is a minor?

04/07/2014

Q: We have employees under 18 years of age, and I have been contacted by their parents requesting information about their wages, W-2 information and other random payroll information. Am I allowed to give them whatever information they request since the employee is considered a minor, or is that information only allowed to be shared with the employee? – Wendy, Colorado

Is it legally dangerous to terminate this worker given his health issues?

04/07/2014

Q: We have an employee who has been going thru some difficult personal issues related to his health and overall well-being. I believe he is going through similar issues at home with one of his children. He recently passed out at work and was taken to the hospital by ambulance but was given the “all clear” by his own physician and the physician we sent him to separately. Even though I have warned the company of this employee’s rights under FMLA, they do not believe that whatever is going on with this employee will be resolved within 12 weeks and they wish to terminate him, against my advice. Would this be leaving us in danger of a lawsuit for not allowing the FMLA time first? – Anonymous, Illinois

How much do we need to pay a salaried worker for the day of termination?

04/07/2014

Q: Our pay period is Sunday through Saturday. A salaried employee is being laid off on Monday. Should she be paid hourly for time worked during the final pay week?  Does that include the unauthorized time she informed her supervisor she worked on Sunday? – Dawn, Tennessee

How exactly do we count our employees for FMLA compliance?

04/07/2014

Q: I am the Chief Everything Officer of an HR firm. I have a client who is an insurance firm. Counting owners, they have more than 50 employees, and I’ve been managing their FMLA. I’ve just learned that owners need not be counted. I am struggling with the clarity of this-finding one citation that the owners need to have at least 20% ownership, which is not the case. Can you help me clarify this, so I can determine whether or not we need to comply with FMLA? – Nora, Indiana

Employees work only on commission: How much must we pay?

03/31/2014

Q: If we have commission-only salespeople and they don’t make any sales during a pay period, do we need to give them at least the minimum wage for the hours they worked? If yes, can we call that minimum pay a “draw” and deduct it from their next commission check? And if we have commission-only salespeople who are regular employees, can they be excluded from receiving PTO or any other benefits? — Denise, California

Is it legally safe for us to install a use-it-or-lose-it policy?

03/31/2014

Q: What are the laws for the state of Illinois concerning a “use-it-or-lose-it” policy for sick time and vacation time? Also, are there laws for earning comp time, or is that a thing of the past? — Julie, Illinois