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Restaurant owner learns price of harassment: $40,750

08/01/2007

Three female employees of the Crazy Horse Steak House in New Oxford will share $40,750 for harassment allegedly committed by owner Nicholas Mavros. The women claimed Mavros commented on their breasts, asked what color underwear they were wearing, invited them to come to a motel to have sex, touched them against their wishes and even put his hands down an employee’s pants …

Sen. Boscola plagued by blogging chief of staff

08/01/2007

How far can employees go when firing off comments on the web on their own time? What if the employee is a public servant? For Bernie Kieklak, chief of staff for state Sen. Lisa Boscola, the answer is pretty far …

Handle employee background checks correctly to lessen liability

08/01/2007

More and more employers are conducting criminal background checks on prospective and current employees, and that means employers are asking tough questions about prior arrests and convictions in the application process. To avoid potential liability, your company needs to develop practices and procedures for managing the process. You need to understand applicable state and federal laws concerning background checks …

Keeping the work environment safe

08/01/2007

Q. What proactive strategies can employers implement to promote a safe workplace? …

Not all absences are equal; punishment needn’t be either

08/01/2007

You know you can’t go easy on one person for attendance problems and come down hard on another for the same offense—especially if he or she belongs to a protected class. But, as the following case shows, courts will conclude a discipline process wasn’t discriminatory if you can show that tardiness or absenteeism affected important work goals, such as productivity …

Think you have a drug-Free workplace? Think again

07/17/2007

If you think your workplace is drug-free, chances are you’re wrong. According to a new government survey, one of every 12 U.S. workers uses illegal drugs. That’s up from earlier surveys. Here’s more on the trend and what employers can do about it …

Track discipline companywide to show no double standard

07/01/2007

One of the most common employment law claims is the uneven enforcement of workplace rules. The only foolproof way to counter such lawsuits …

How not to institute an arbitration clause

07/01/2007

In light of recent California appellate court decisions addressing the enforceability of arbitration agreements, many employers may consider having employees sign one of these contracts. First, consider the following case …

Employees miss meal or rest period? Then you owe extra hour’s pay

07/01/2007

Employees who are entitled to a meal period or a rest period under the California Labor Code and who miss out on those benefits now have up to three years (four in some cases) to claim the additional pay the law says they’re entitled to …

Employees can sue directly for unpaid break and lunch bonus

07/01/2007

Employers have another new worry concerning wages owed to employees who don’t get their full and uninterrupted lunch or break time …