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Employees can’t relitigate state case in federal court

03/29/2011
If an employee loses a case in state court and then doesn’t appeal, he can’t just march into federal court.

Employees, employers embrace S.F. paid leave ordinance

03/23/2011

Employees and employers alike have embraced San Francisco’s generous paid sick leave law, according to a new survey by the nonprofit Institute for Women’s Policy Research. The law, enacted in 2007 after being approved by San Francisco voters, requires employers to credit workers with one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours they work.

Under a PTO plan, how should we handle payouts when employees quit or get fired?

03/22/2011
Q. Our company is considering replacing sick leave and vacation benefits with a paid time off (PTO) system. Under a PTO plan, how should we handle it when an employee resigns or is terminated?

Nice work if you can get it: 12 years of full-time time off

03/22/2011
Heads are rolling in Norfolk, Va., following the discovery that a government worker who was suspended 12 years ago and hasn’t done a day of work since then has been drawing a paycheck the whole time. And get this: Now that she’s been officially fired, she’s suing.

Summer FMLA leave to care for child: Permissible?

03/18/2011
Q. An employee asked to take 12 weeks of FMLA leave this summer because her kindergarten-age child will be out of school. She says her child is special-needs and can’t go to summer camp. Do we have to allow her to take what amounts to an unpaid summer vacation?

Extra leave under MPLA subject to employer approval

03/14/2011
Although they’re welcome to be more generous, employers are only obligated to provide six weeks of leave under the Minnesota Parental Leave Act

FMLA isn’t carte blanche for all sick leave

03/04/2011

Some employees with chronic health conditions mistakenly believe that getting approved for intermittent FMLA leave means they can take protected time off anytime they feel ill. That’s simply not true. Intermittent leave can only be taken for illness, treatment or flare-ups directly related to a condition for which a health care provider has certified intermittent leave.

Make sure employee handbook supports compliance with leave laws

03/04/2011
Employers are generally free to develop their own internal policies, but many laws require employers to notify employees of those policies. Consider the case of Jones v. City of Atlantic City in which an FMLA dispute revealed that Atlantic City hadn’t updated its handbook in 13 years. In fact, the last update happened two months before the FMLA was signed into law.

Good record-keeping, constant contact are key to successful FMLA administration

03/04/2011

Smart employers carefully track FMLA leave and make sure employees know their rights. That includes warning employees when their leave is about to expire and explaining their options for returning or requesting additional time off. By keeping employees informed and meticulously tracking all conversations, you make it harder for someone to successfully sue you.

Tell bosses: Don’t play doctor with the FMLA

03/04/2011

When an employee asks for and is granted FMLA leave, absences that occur during the approved leave can’t be held against him. That includes days when he might be able to work but, according to doctors, shouldn’t do so. According to a Texas court, that means employers can’t retroactively assess absenteeism points during FMLA leave.