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Susan Lessack

Can we limit employee freelancing?

10/27/2012
Q. I recently found out that one of our designers has been freelancing on the side. It doesn’t seem to be interfering with her work, but is there anything we can do legally to protect the interest of the company?

Is there an hourly threshold employees must pass to earn paid holidays?

09/26/2012

Q. Is there a law that states the number of hours necessary to be considered full time for being eligible for paid holidays? Our handbook says an employee who works fewer than 40 hours a week is considered part time. An employee who works 34 hours a week wonders if he should be eligible for paid holidays. Our handbook says he’s not. Is that OK?

Is ‘he who hired also fired’ a good defense against discrimination charges?

09/26/2012
Q. If an employee claims he was discriminated against by the same supervisor who hired and fired him, does the employer have a defense to the discrimination claim?

Must we pay an intern we plan to bring in?

09/26/2012
Q. We plan on hiring a college intern later this year. Will we have to pay him or her?

What should we do? Our work requires talking on cellphones while driving

09/26/2012

Q. The animal care officers who work for us spend 80% of their time driving and responding to rescue calls via cellphone. Requiring them to pull off the road while talking on their phones wouldn’t work. Is there another way to limit our liability?

You can’t say that! Or can you? Discussing politics in the workplace

09/26/2012
Election season often increases the volume and vociferousness of political conversations. Widening ideological gulfs, dissected and fueled by pundits, have made politics seem like a contact sport more than ever. While some political activities can be prohibited in the workplace, some actions are protected.

OK to pay overtime to salaried supervisors?

08/23/2012

Q. Our company pays overtime to salaried supervisors for hours they work over 40 in a week. I have never heard of this compensation practice. Is it legal?

Is it legal to terminate a highly paid employee just because he earns so much?

08/23/2012

Q. We need to cut costs, and have started to explore trimming our staff, starting with those who earn far more than other employees. Are there any dangers in doing so? Can we legally fire a high-earner because of his salary?

What should we keep in personnel files?

08/23/2012
Q. Does Pennsylvania law specify what we should keep in personnel files?

Can we legally cap paid sick leave?

08/23/2012

Q. One of our managers has medical problems and has used a significant amount of paid sick leave. Because we don’t have a defined sick pay policy, this manager uses paid sick time whenever she’s out (full day or half day). How can we legally cap this? Is developing a policy with specific hours our only alternative?