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Q&A

When register drawers are short, may we demand repayment out of cashiers’ pockets?

05/24/2012

Q. Management wants to institute a policy requiring cashiers whose registers are short at night’s end to replace the disputed amount out of their own pockets. Would that violate the law?

What should we do if we suspect employee is engaged in workers’ comp fraud?

05/24/2012

Q. While on unpaid leave, one of our employees applied for and was granted workers’ compensation. This person has not expressed any interest in returning to work. We think she may even be working somewhere else. Can we terminate her?

What are the pay rules when we have to close because of an emergency?

05/18/2012

Q. Our offices were closed due to a phoned-in bomb threat. As a result, we were forced to send home all our employees. Do we need to pay employees for showing up to work that day?

How does PTO affect terminations?

05/18/2012

Q. We are considering replacing sick leave and vacation benefits with a paid time off (PTO) program. How are these plans treated upon the termination or resignation of an employee?

How long must we give to review severance package?

05/17/2012

Q. How much time must our company allow an employee to review a severance package before accepting or rejecting the release agreement?

What do Illinois employers need to know about Indiana’s new right-to-work law?

05/16/2012

Q. We’ve heard in the news about the recently enacted Indiana right-to-work law. Could it have an effect on Illinois employers?

Might we be covered by Minnesota’s OT rules?

05/10/2012
Q. We are a small employer and only have operations in Minnesota. I recently learned that Minnesota does not require overtime pay until after an employee has worked 48 hours in a workweek. Do we have to pay overtime after 40 hours or can we have employees work an extra eight hours before they are entitled to overtime?

Contractor for short-term job: Good idea?

05/10/2012

Q. We want to bring on a worker to help finish up a contract that we have with a customer. The contract and work will end in a few months. To ease in setting this up and to avoid any long-term commitment, I’d like to hire the individual as a contractor and not an employee. Can I do this?

If employee’s PTO is gone, can we dock his pay?

05/10/2012

Q. During our introductory period, new hires accrue PTO but they can’t use it until after six months. Can we dock an exempt employee’s pay if he wants a vacation day or sick day during this time? Or, after the six-month period, if an exempt employee has exhausted his PTO accrual, can he be docked pay?

No state law on break time: What does FLSA say?

05/07/2012

Q. I don’t think our state has any rules on meal or break times for hourly workers. Does federal law require us to give breaks?