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Policies / Handbooks

Post Vacation Schedules in Employee-Only Areas

05/01/2003

Q. We post employees’ vacation schedules in the employee lunchroom. Occasionally, outside visitors or customers visit the lunchroom, too. Some employees have complained about this posting policy, saying it borders on invasion of privacy. Are they right and should we stop doing this from a legal standpoint? —M.M., New Jersey

Don’t cut severance if it violates written contract

05/01/2003

Q. We need to change our severance policy, mostly due to declining business conditions. Can we reduce the severance amounts cited in employment agreements with certain staff as long as we notify them of the change? —J.C., Illinois

Age-based remark can spark lawsuit, even when made by older manager

04/01/2003
Respond to “age slurs” by any employees, even if the worker making the remark is older than the person who was slurred. As a recent case shows, over-40 employees can …

Don’t let weather closings bury you in pay confusion

04/01/2003
If your business closes because of bad weather, clear rules dictate who you must pay. First, exempt employees must receive their full salaries when bad weather …

You don’t have to offer FMLA leave to let worker travel with sick spouse

04/01/2003
Courts keep pushing the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) boundaries, letting employees take job-protected leave for circumstances other than physically providing care to a sick family member.

Be wary of giving employees automatic post-injury drug tests

04/01/2003
Steer clear of drafting (or continuing to follow) a company policy that says all employees involved in workplace accidents will automatically receive …

Employee handbooks: Craft with care to secure ‘at-will’ policy

04/01/2003
THE LAW. While law doesn’t directly regulate employee handbooks, they are extremely important legal tools. A handbook documents your policies, builds trust …

Set Policy, Check State Law for ‘Snow Day’ Pay

04/01/2003

Q. An ice storm recently knocked out power in 87 percent of the city. Our company had no power from Sunday until Wednesday. Some hourly employees showed up to work Monday because they live in surrounding counties and didn’t know about the outage. Are we obligated to pay those who showed up but were unable to work? —D.K., Kentucky

Lower-level bias can illegally taint firing decision

03/01/2003
When it comes to discrimination affecting your company’s hiring and firing decisions, what you don’t know can hurt you. That’s why it’s important to reiterate …

Fast fix to FLSA error can save you, but ‘correction window’ closes fast

03/01/2003
If you screw up on a Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) pay issue, don’t count on the “window of corrections” to save you. Sure, this Labor Department rule allows you to …