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

HR Management

Bias claims on the rise

03/01/2000
The number of employment discrimination cases filed in U.S. district courts nearly tripled in the last decade, to 23,735 in 1998, the Bureau of Justice Statistics says. But take heart: The …

Don’t fear distress caused by proper investigations

03/01/2000
You don’t have to worry that the target of your harassment investigation will turn around and sue you for emotional distress. The 2nd Circuit said he …

Apply consistent policy on employee searches, and get written OK first

03/01/2000
Elvis Stewart carried a duffel bag so he could change uniforms between working at a Taco Bell during the day and a McDonald’s inside …

Erratic attendance can disqualify employee from ADA protection

03/01/2000
Dan Jovanovic was one of the tool and die makers that kept the In-Sink-Erator manufacturing plant running. But Jovanovic had an erratic attendance record …

Women-hating comments, even if not sexual, can equal sexual harassment

03/01/2000
Elizabeth Smith got hit with a double whammy: a harassing boss and a company that didn’t take it seriously. In the end, the company’s lax response cost it big-time …

Multiple locations? Check local law before setting nationwide rules

03/01/2000
If your company operates in several locations, make sure you’re complying with every city and state law. And check your employee handbook, too. It may need …

OSHA colors in gray areas of home-office liability

03/01/2000
Bottom line: If you let workers perform hazardous manufacturing operations in their homes, such as assembling electronic components, then your company …

Pay for ‘Floating Holiday’ Depends on Your Policy

03/01/2000

Q. We gave eligible employees a “floating holiday” in lieu of having Dec. 31, 1999, as a paid holiday. We generally pay employees for all unused vacation, sick and personal time upon termination, but we have no policy regarding an unused floating holiday. Do we have to pay workers for any unused floating holidays upon termination? Does it make any difference if the employee requested the day off but the supervisor denied the request? —C.R., Illinois

Snow days might not freeze out exempt workers

03/01/2000

Q. Due to recent snowstorms, some employees have not been able to get to work. Can we dock the pay and/or accrued leave of employees who do not come to work? Can we do so even if the office is closed? Our attorney told us that the Fair Labor Standards Act does not apply to us because, among other things, our gross sales are under $500,000. —A.I., Maryland

Harassment: How to stop it before, and after, it starts

03/01/2000
Protect your organization from employee lawsuits for harassment by focusing your attention on both preventive and corrective measures. Provide every employee …