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Employment Law

Lesson of Reeves: Give reason for employment decision

10/01/2000
When making an employment decision (such as firing, hiring, demotion), it’s important for your words and actions to be consistent with your true reasons. It’s equally vital …

Sweeten deal when asking staff to sign noncompetes

10/01/2000

Q. Can I ask employees who are already with the company to execute noncompete agreements? —L.T., Georgia

Check arbitration pacts against these standards

10/01/2000

Q. To hold down litigation costs and resolve disputes faster, we’re thinking about requiring employees to sign arbitration agreements that would make them arbitrate employment disputes instead of going to court. Are these agreements legal? —C.R., California

Extra travel time counts as work time

10/01/2000

Q. One of our executives will be making day trips once a week to New York from Washington, D.C., for a special assignment, and her secretary will be accompanying her. The secretary’s regular workday is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The trips will require the secretary to arrive at the airport by 7:30 a.m., and she’ll be back in Washington by 8 p.m. Do we have to compensate the nonexempt secretary for her travel time to and from New York? —L.L., Washington, D.C.

Pitch old records with care

10/01/2000

Q. How long is a company supposed to keep paper records? We’d like to throw out some of our old, archived paperwork. —B.H., Pennsylvania

New union threat: NLRB makes it easier for temps to join

10/01/2000
If you thought contracting for temporary and contingent workers would save you headaches, you may be reaching for the aspirin again. Temps used to need permission …

Don’t jump the gun on job offers; control who promises what

10/01/2000
Based on an oral offer from a hospital’s interim CEO, James Greisi accepted a job as a physical therapy manager. A few days later, Greisi received a written offer …

No special protection for morning sickness

10/01/2000
After 20 unexcused absences in a year, Jennifer Dormeyer was fired from her job as a bank teller. She claimed nine of the absences were because of morning sickness and sued …

Extra damages can be awarded to cover tax consequences

10/01/2000
A jury awarded Richard O’Neill $519,000 in his age discrimination lawsuit against Sears. But O’Neill asked the judge to award extra damages to cover …

Workers can moonlight during FMLA leave

09/01/2000
Minutes after arguing with her supervisor, hospital psychiatric nurse Debbie Stekloff said she was too upset to work and walked off the job. Later that day …