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  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Joseph Beachboard

Are employee assistance programs required?

07/18/2008

Q. I understand that many companies offer employee assistance programs (EAPs) as an added benefit for employees who may have drug or alcohol abuse problems. Are we required by law to do so? …

We’d like to help an employee who may be a domestic violence victim

07/18/2008

Q. We suspect that one of our employees is a victim of domestic violence. What are the leave requirements for domestic violence under California law? …

Should we limit political talk at work?

07/18/2008

Q. With the upcoming presidential election, our employees have spent more time talking politics and debating candidates and their positions. Do we have an obligation to limit or prevent such conversations in the workplace? …

Supreme Court allows retaliation suits under Civil War-Era law

07/07/2008

On May 27, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court further expanded the ability of employees to sue for retaliation—an area of employment law that has exploded in recent years. Specifically, the court held that a federal statute enacted shortly after the Civil War, granting all citizens the right to enter into and enforce contracts (commonly referred to as Section 1981), can be used to bring a claim of employment-related retaliation …

How should employers handle new hands-free cell phones law?

07/01/2008

Q. What are employers’ obligations under the new law requiring drivers to use hands-free cell phones? …

How should we pay exempt employee who was terminated midway through the week?

07/01/2008
Q. We recently terminated an exempt employee halfway through a workweek. Given the Fair Labor Standards Act requirement that exempt employees must be paid on a salary basis, are we required to pay the employee for the entire week?

Can we replace a worker who is out on pregnancy disability leave?

07/01/2008

Q. One of our employees is on pregnancy disability leave. We are a small company and it will be difficult for us to keep her position open. May we hire another worker to replace her based on this hardship? …

What’s this we heard about a California military family leave law?

05/16/2008

Q. We recently learned that a new law was passed allowing the spouses of military personnel to take unpaid leave. Is this true? …

What are our responsibilities when an employee has been threatened with violence?

05/16/2008

Q. One of our employees has a boyfriend who has threatened her with physical violence. What steps, if any, should we take to protect the employee in the workplace? …

Should we now be using the new I-9 Forms to document worker eligibility?

05/16/2008

Q. Our HR department is using I-9 forms from several years ago. At what point should we use the new revised form issued by the federal government? …