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FMLA: State workers can sue for FMLA violations, too.

07/01/2003
In a shift from its recent trend of holding states immune from federal law, the Supreme Court affirmed the right of state employees to file lawsuits relating to the Family …

Comp-time reform bill dealt
major setback in Congress

07/01/2003
Legislators shelved a bill last month that would allow private-sector companies to offer compensatory time to employees in lieu of overtime pay, due in large part to intense protests from organized …

Cosmetic surgery usually won’t qualify for FMLA leave

07/01/2003

Q. One of our employees is having cosmetic surgery and plans to take leave. Would that fall under the FMLA, or would it be a leave of absence? —K.H., Connecticut

Employee behavior change can count as FMLA ‘notice’

07/01/2003
Issue: You may need to somehow decipher employees’ need for FMLA leave from a “sudden behavior change.”
Risk: Dramatically expands employees’ protection under FMLA.
Action: Warn managers to notify …

Rewrite policy to prevent moonlighting during FMLA leave

07/01/2003
Issue: Unless your policy prevents it, employees can work a second job while out on medical-related FMLA leave.
Risk: Reduced productivity as employees “work” the system.
Action: To prevent …

Don’t dock exempt worker for partial-Day absence

07/01/2003

Q. If an exempt employee has no more paid leave left, can he take a couple hours off without pay? We’d just manually adjust his salary to reflect this. —A.D., Pennsylvania

C-section caregiving can qualify for FMLA leave

06/01/2003
Courts typically don’t consider pregnancy alone to be a “serious medical condition” qualifying for job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). But, …

Don’t link vacation bonus to exempt workers’ hours

06/01/2003

Q. Can we give an exempt employee extra vacation days in addition to the standard accrued time off outlined in our employee handbook? —T. L., Maryland

Comp time isn’t legal, yet

06/01/2003

Q. Can our company legally offer comp time instead of overtime? I’ve received conflicting answers. —R.S., Virginia

Indefinite leave of absence isn’t a reasonable accommodation

05/01/2003
Providing a leave of absence is one way to “reasonably accommodate” disabled employees. But the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) doesn’t require you to wait …