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

Firing

Don’t let abusive staff use disability as excuse; you can fire for behavior

05/01/2003
Don’t allow employees to use their disabilities as justification for poor behavior, especially if it clearly threatens your workplace. Even if an employee is …

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 …

Simple pain complaint doesn’t count as FMLA notice.

03/01/2003
A worker who previously fractured his coccyx told his boss he was “in pain from his tailbone” and needed to go to the doctor that day. Although the boss told him …

FCRA: How to comply with background-check rules

03/01/2003
THE LAW. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regulates how your company performs background checks on job applicants. Contrary to popular belief, this federal law …

Bankrupt worker protected from bias, but only if he formally filed

02/01/2003
The U.S. Bankruptcy Code says it’s illegal for private companies to fire employees, or refuse to hire applicants, solely because they’ve filed for bankruptcy. But what …

Doing half a job is not a reasonable accommodation request

02/01/2003
After a construction worker injured his shoulder, had surgery and returned to work, he told his employer he didn’t have any disability that would prevent him from doing …

Don’t punish employees for participating in legal probes

02/01/2003
Kimberly Hill, a 10-year employee at the Kentucky Lottery Corp., testified at an unemployment compensation hearing on behalf of a co-worker who alleged discrimination. Soon …

Heads up: Workers can sue over ‘potty parity.’

02/01/2003
A manufacturing firm’s new plant had only one restroom, which was designed for men. Female workers were told they had to use that restroom during work hours, …

Undocumented workers can sue for retaliation under FLSA

02/01/2003
Macan Singh was recruited to work in the United States with a promise of a place to live, free tuition and eventual partnership in a business. When none of this materialized …

Beware new court trend: Employees use expert to shift blame for failure

01/01/2003
If an employee drags you into court, don’t be surprised if the worker totes along his own expert witness to put your company in a bad light. More employees are …