• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Employment Law

Dealership heads to court in male/Male harassment case

03/01/2008

 The male Internet manager at Belle Glade Chevrolet-Cadillac-Buick-Pontiac-Oldsmobile Inc. and Plattner Auto Group is suing the company over sexual harassment by a male co-worker who eventually became his supervisor …

Court finds Hillsborough County did not discriminate

03/01/2008

 A counselor for the Hillsborough County Children’s Services Department (CSD) lost her disability discrimination case against the county in U.S. District Court for the Middle District in Tampa …

Unreported tips could spell high workers’ compensation payout

03/01/2008

Employers and employees in cash businesses often bluff, wink and nod their way around the edge of wage-and-hour law legality. But when it’s time to settle workers’ compensation claims, all the cards must go on the table. A recent Florida workers’ compensation case shows just how wrong things can go when employers give their employees unrequested advice on reporting income …

Time off for binge drinking doesn’t qualify for FMLA leave

03/01/2008
Employees who are alcoholics may be disabled under the ADA and are entitled to reasonable accommodations for treatment. That treatment also qualifies the employee for FMLA leave. But it doesn’t mean you have to tolerate or forgive unauthorized absences to indulge an alcoholic binge …

You can’t eliminate job because others filled in during FMLA leave

03/01/2008
The work doesn’t stop just because an employee takes FMLA leave. As a practical matter, the employer must redistribute the absent employee’s work among the remaining staff. If that goes well, you may be tempted to cut the position entirely. Before you eliminate that position, consider the following case …

Listen for code words when evaluating discrimination complaints

03/01/2008
The law protects employees from retaliation for complaining about alleged job discrimination. That doesn’t mean, however, that employees have to state specifically that their concerns involve sex, race or some other protected characteristic. Something as simple as complaining about “the glass ceiling” may be enough to at least raise the specter of sex discrimination …

No longer adrift: Illinois retaliatory discharge claim applies on water, too

03/01/2008
Illinois law makes it retaliation to fire employees because they report dangerous or illegal activities at work—even if they are otherwise at-will employees who can be fired for any legal reason. That holds true even if those employees work on a river barge otherwise governed by federal admiralty laws …

School bus driver loses sexual harassment case

03/01/2008
Barbara Tipps, a school bus driver for Laidlaw Transit Services in Springfield, was part of a group of employees who enjoyed a casual, friendly relationship at work. Tipps often engaged in light sexual banter and even physical cavorting …

One-Size-Fits-All harassment reporting policies don’t really fit all

03/01/2008
If you downloaded your company handbook from the Internet or took it with you from your last job—beware! Take a look at your anti-harassment policy’s reporting procedures. A new court ruling shows why you should take your policy out, dust it off and look it over closely … at least before a jury does …

Documentation key to showing prompt, fair investigation

03/01/2008
Discrimination lawsuits can take years to resolve, and memories fade over time. That’s one reason to take careful notes during your initial investigation. Be sure to record exactly what the alleged victim says happened. You don’t want to be blindsided later …