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Resignations

Unemployment comp legit if threat of losing job compelled employee to quit

12/01/2007

Telling an employee you aren’t satisfied with her work and suggesting you will be looking for a replacement could mean she can quit and get unemployment compensation. You can’t push her to “look for another job” and then hope to avoid an unemployment claim by saying she voluntarily left …

Can we deduct money owed from employee’s last paycheck?

11/01/2007

Q. An employee of ours owes the company about $450. He rented a car using our company charge card and never repaid us. Now he has submitted a resignation letter. Can we deduct the $450 from his final pay? …

Columbus cop quits following furor over YouTube tirade

11/01/2007

A Columbus patrol officer resigned after coming under fire for a series of hostile homemade videos she broadcast on the web site YouTube.com. In the videos, the officer and her sister called blacks, Jews, Cubans and illegal immigrants “filthy” and “scumbags” …

$15,000 convinces employee to drop complaint and leave

11/01/2007

A man who landed a job with the Penn-Harris-Madison (P-H-M) School Corp. after fleeing Hurricane Katrina has agreed to drop his race discrimination complaint in exchange for $15,000. As part of the agreement, the man will resign …

Timing on final paychecks

11/01/2007

Q. When is an employer required to give a worker his final paycheck? …

Circuit City sued for male-on-Male sexual harassment

11/01/2007

 Two male employees at a Circuit City store in Delaware County have filed a suit alleging their male manager engaged in a campaign of sexual harassment. It started with the manager tickling their palms with his middle finger, then escalated to unwanted shoulder massages, comments about oral sex and groping …

 

Mere days of harassment mean lawsuit when ‘Constructive discharge’ is involved

10/01/2007

When it comes to sexual harassment under Ohio’s sex discrimination laws, a few days is all it takes to create a hostile work environment. Even if the harasser stops—instead turning critical and cold—the harassed employee may quit shortly after. Courts then will view the resignation as the effective equivalent of being fired in retaliation …

Never on Sunday if employee claims religious need

10/01/2007

The U.S. Justice Department recently settled a complaint with Palm Beach County to accommodate a park ranger’s request to be given Sundays off so he could attend church and obey the rules of his religious faith …

Watch what you promise: Michigan employment contracts can be oral

10/01/2007

In Michigan, employers and employees can enter into employment contracts without using written agreements. As long as one of the parties can prove what the terms of the agreement are, a court may enforce the agreement. One way to protect your organization is to have all new hires sign an acknowledgment that no oral promises are binding, and that all contracts must be in writing …

Train managers: Sexual-Orientation comments are off limits

10/01/2007

The California Fair Employment and Housing Act bars employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. In fact, the law clearly states, “Freedom from employment discrimination on account of sexual orientation is a civil right.” Make sure supervisors know: Comments about an employee’s sexual orientation simply aren’t appropriate in the workplace. They’ll lead to trouble …