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Employee Relations

Investigate even when employee complains belatedly

07/14/2008

When it comes to reporting sexual harassment, employees have an obligation to use their employer’s complaint process, even if doing so may be uncomfortable. If they don’t, they may lose the right to sue for a hostile work environment. But what happens if an employee has tolerated mild harassment for years without complaining? …

Be ready to justify different punishment for like offenses

07/14/2008
The cardinal HR rule is that employees who break the same rule should receive similar punishments. That doesn’t mean, however, that you have no flexibility if the circumstances warrant it. You just have to make sure you can justify why you disciplined one employee differently than another …

Don’t sweat innocent mistakes when deciding on disciplining

07/14/2008
Good news: You don’t have to be perfect when disciplining employees. As long as you can show you acted in good faith, you don’t have to worry that a court will second-guess your disciplinary decisions …

What you need to know about Florida’s new Guns at Work Law

07/14/2008
Last April, the Florida Legislature passed the Preservation and Protection of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in Motor Vehicles Act of 2008. Many call it by a much less official name: the Guns at Work Law. The law expands employees’ rights to transport lawfully registered firearms in their vehicles even if they are traveling to work …

Understand the ADA basics: Diagnosis not always equal to disability

07/14/2008
We hear and read that Americans are developing diabetes, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure and other health problems at an alarming rate. But it doesn’t follow that large segments of the workforce are disabled and entitled to ADA accommodations for their ills.

Good news for less-Than-Perfect workplaces: No need to sweat the small stuff

07/11/2008
Employees sometimes unreasonably expect they will happily toil forever in a perfect workplace, full of harmony. But that simply isn’t going to happen. As long as squabbles and personality conflicts don’t turn into discrimination based on age, race, religion or another protected category, they simply don’t matter …

Investigate harassment even if employee complains belatedly

07/11/2008
What happens if an employee has tolerated mild harassment for years without complaining and then the behavior escalates? If the employee stops work, takes disability leave and then files a sexual harassment complaint, what should you do? …

Palace employee allegedly makes off with king’s ransom

07/11/2008
Palace Sports & Entertainment is suing a former employee, claiming she used a company credit card to make $1.8 million in unauthorized personal charges. Amy McDonald, a former accounting manager, was authorized to use the card for business purposes …

Gaming board compliance wars lead to suspension, lawsuit

07/11/2008
Patrick Devlin, a compliance officer for the Michigan Gaming Control Board and a former assistant attorney general, has a history of what the board has delicately termed “noncompliance.” Since 2003, Devlin has filed at least 19 grievance appeals with the Civil Service Commission …

How far can MDCR investigation go?

07/11/2008
Q. Our company is responding to a charge filed with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR). The allegation relates to management’s treatment of one employee. However, during the investigation, the MDCR  asked us to produce various unrelated records—for example, promotion records. The charging party has made no claim that he was discriminated against with respect to any promotion. He has never even sought a promotion. How should we respond to this request? …