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William Sturges

Can a lazy worker collect unemployment?

05/27/2009

Q. We have an employee who does not work very hard and her production is marginal. If we terminate the employee, will she be able to collect unemployment compensation?

How can we prevent co-worker harassment from escalating into violence?

05/27/2009

Q. A co-worker is harassing one of our employees, and we are concerned it may get violent. What can we do about this?

What’s enough ‘consideration’ in a noncompete?

05/27/2009

Q. I understand that “consideration” is required for noncompete agreements in North Carolina, and that, for existing employees, continued employment is not valid consideration. How much must a company pay to have sufficient consideration?

Is there a state health continuation subsidy?

03/30/2009

Q. Is North Carolina providing a subsidy for health care continuation for employers with fewer than 20 employees similar to the federal subsidy contained in the new economic stimulus law?

Does North Carolina have a mini-COBRA law?

03/30/2009

Q. Our company employs fewer than 20 employees, so federal COBRA does not apply to us. Is there a state law that allows continued health care coverage following termination of employment?

If we supplement unemployment comp benefits, must we pay FICA/FUTA on it?

03/30/2009

Q. If we have a Supplemental Unemployment Pay Plan to supplement unemployment benefits, do the company and the employee have to pay FICA and FUTA taxes on the supplemental pay?

May we supplement unemployment comp benefits for temporarily laid-off workers?

03/30/2009

Q. We need to temporarily lay off some employees. It will be hard for them to make it on the amount of unemployment benefits. Can we supplement their unemployment benefits without interfering with the unemployment benefits?

Are we liable if worker wrecks during commute?

03/30/2009

Q. We have had some bad weather lately. Is our company liable if an employee has a wreck on the way to work?

Discrimination: Who is disabled under North Carolina state law?

02/26/2009

As time has passed, the North Carolina Persons with Disabilities Protection Act has evolved to cover more disabled North Carolinians. For example, the first version of the law excluded “working” as a major life activity, thus preventing coverage for those who might not be able to work without substantial accommodations. In 1999, the Legislature added “working” as a major life activity …

Understand the North Carolina Persons with Disabilities Protection Act

01/27/2009

North Carolina law has long protected disabled North Carolinians from discrimination. The North Carolina Persons with Disabilities Protection Act was originally called the Handicapped Persons Protection Act and became law in 1985. The act is broad in scope, and many of its protections apply directly to employment matters.