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Employee Relations

Retirement offer instead of disciplinary hearing isn’t adverse action

10/08/2013
Offering a public employee the option to retire rather than face a disciplinary hearing that could result in discharge isn’t an adverse employment action. Therefore, it can’t be the basis of an employee’s discrimination lawsuit.

Fired for death threats? No unemployment for you!

10/08/2013
A Commonwealth Court has ruled that a Ridgway man who was fired for threatening his bosses can’t collect unemployment benefits.

Show pregnancy didn’t prompt mom’s firing

10/08/2013
It’s become a little bit harder for women alleging pregnancy discrimination under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to win discharge lawsuits. To prevail, a new mother has to prove that pregnancy discrimination was a “substantial motivating factor” in her discharge.

Police want info about an employee? Respond, be honest

10/01/2013
If you’re honest when law enforcement officials ask for information about a potential crime involving an employee, the worker can’t sue for false arrest, even if he’s not formally charged or eventually is found not guilty.

Better brainstorming: How to inspire group creativity

09/30/2013
Group brainstorming meetings can become productive drivers of company innovation or simply a waste of time. Tips on successfully managing them:

Keep chitchat from killing your productivity

09/25/2013
Office chitchat builds camaraderie and helps break up the day. But when workplace socializing starts to threaten your productivity, call a halt to it with these common-sense tips.

5 tips to capture your employees’ great ideas

09/20/2013
It’s time to revive your stale em­­ployee suggestion program. Solicit­­ing employee ideas for improving the business requires more than just bolting a box to the break room wall.

Tell staff: Accommodations are none of their business

09/19/2013
It’s natural for co-workers to gripe when a disabled employee’s accommodation causes more work. They may complain that the accommodated employee isn’t pulling her weight or that the accommodations are bogus. Tell them to zip it.

In Harlem jobs program, varying shades of the N-word

09/19/2013
A recent case has tested the complex, unwritten rules surrounding the use of the N-word in the workplace—in this case, the successful STRIVE East Harlem temporary agency, which has been profiled on “60 Minutes.”

Use independent investigation to back up decision to terminate rule-breakers

09/19/2013
Sometimes, it pays to be patient. That’s often true when deciding who to terminate when several people are allegedly involved in rule breaking. Conduct an independent investigation, talk to all the individuals involved and come to conclusions based on what the employees said. That way, there’s a good chance a court won’t second-guess your final decision.