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Employee leave: When must you grant it to accommodate disabilities?

03/10/2015
The goal of leave is “to provide job-protected time in order to enable a qualified employee with a disability to manage his or her medical impairment and ultimately remain in the workforce.” Follow these guidelines when granting it.

Philadelphia mayor signs paid sick leave bill

03/03/2015
Effective May 13, Philadelphia em­­ployers of 10 or more must provide one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours an employee works. Mayor Michael Nutter had twice vetoed similar legislation, fearing that the mandate would burden city employers still emerging from the recession.

Texas homebuilder brings employees on ‘mission trips’

02/26/2015
After a year on the job at Beten­­bough Homes in Lubbock, Texas, employees may accompany execs and colleagues on an all-expense-paid “mission trip.”

When new employee quits, can we deduct vacation time she took but never earned?

02/18/2015
Q. We permit our employees to take two weeks of advanced vacation before accruing vacation hours. When an employee takes advanced vacation, we typically reduce the employee’s negative vacation balance as the employee later accrues vacation. Unfor­­tu­­nately, we recently had an employee quit before accruing sufficient vacation time to correct her outstanding balance. May we deduct the negative balance from her final paycheck?

St. Paul mayor touts paid leave before State of the Union

02/18/2015
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman talked up the city’s paid leave program at the White House just ahead of Presi­­dent Obama’s State of the Union. Effective Jan. 1, city employees may now take paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child. Birth parents receive four weeks of paid leave.

Perks at digital marketing firm encourage employee creativity

02/18/2015

Employees of Boston-based C-4 Analytics joke that they “already get to play on Facebook all day” as part of their work as digital marketers, says managing partner Michael Weiss. Yet execs have woven time into employee schedules to get them away from their workstations to “recharge their creativity and focus.”

Volunteer emergency responders in New York now entitled to leave

02/09/2015
As of Dec. 22, 2014, employers in New York must grant leave to employees who also serve as volunteer emergency responders during times when the governor has declared a state of emergency or if a federal emergency has been declared.

All the benefits of vacation, none of the sun and sand

02/06/2015
A British hypnotherapist is offering sessions designed to help stressed out workers “feel as refreshed and revitalised as they do after a two-week break.”

What is the protocol on asking employees to provide a doctor’s note?

02/01/2015
Q: “When an employee calls off sick for more than one day, is there a minimum amount of days off required before an employer can ask for a doctor’s note? Also, are you permitted to ask the specific reason for the absence?” – Joe, Pennsylvania

Pregnancy Discrimination Act

01/30/2015

HR Law 101: The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) of 1978 prohibits discrimination on the basis of “pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions.” Employers can’t deny a woman a job or a promotion merely because she’s pregnant or has had an abortion …