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Communication

Requests for accommodation must be reasonable

06/01/2001
After an argument between Manuella Reed and a co-worker, her plant manager told Reed she should walk away from altercations and contact a supervisor. Months later, Reed got into a heated …

Employee must notify you of change in disability status

04/01/2001
David Wurzbach had leukemia, so his doctor recommended limited public contact to reduce his risk of infection. Because his job with the City of Tacoma required lots of public interaction, the …

Worker has duty to file complaint.

04/01/2001
Lynne Barrett told seven other employees, the CEO’s son and two lawyers that her supervisor sexually harassed her. But she never reported the misconduct to any of the 12 managers designated …

Federal contractors: Notify staff of right to skip certain union dues

04/01/2001
The Bush administration recently ordered federal contractors to notify workers who are not in a union, but must pay union dues, that they have the right not to pay certain portions …

Tell State and Community When Big Layoffs Are Coming

04/01/2001

Q. Our company has been unable to secure financing and will run out of cash in the next four to six months. We may have to shut down and lay off all 200 workers. At what point do we have to notify employees of the possible closing? —R.Y., Maryland

Notify employees if you find a problem with your benefit plan

03/01/2001
Joseph Griggs took early retirement after 32 years with DuPont. The company was offering certain employees a special pension benefit. For Griggs, that would equal a year’s salary, in addition to …

Stray remarks add to suspicions of bias

12/01/2000
With nearly 30 years of experience and several awards for selling animal health products, Marvin Fisher was assigned to a top sales unit after a company merger. About a year later, the company…

Worker’s body odor requires prompt diplomacy

12/01/2000

Q. We have an employee with an increasing body odor problem. The problem is so bad that co-workers are complaining about having to interact with her. We need to discuss the problem with the employee. Are there any legal issues that we need to be concerned about? —T.M., Texas

Point and click for workplace posters

11/01/2000
Unsure which federal-law posters you’re required to display in your workplace? Check out the new Poster Advisor on the U.S. Labor Department’s Web site …

Base English-only rules on business necessity

10/01/2000
Unless you have a good business reason, steer clear of preventing workers from talking to each other in their native language. In September …