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ADA

Stick to facts with mental fitness tests

07/01/2002
Don Jackson, a county utility worker, got quite a shock one night when a psychologist called to confirm an appointment in two days. Jackson hadn’t made the appointment, his employer had. …

ADA: You can deny jobs that threaten workers’ own safety, health

07/01/2002
In a solid win for employers, the U.S. Supreme Court last month ruled that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) doesn’t entitle employees to jobs that might endanger their health, even …

Third-party retaliation will stand up in court

06/01/2002
Gregory Fogleman claimed that the age-old parable about a son being punished for the sins of his father played out in his workplace. As a result, Gregory’s employer could pay more …

No need to bend seniority rules to accommodate disabled employees

06/01/2002
Continuing a pattern of narrowing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that, in most cases, employers don’t have to override their seniority system to accommodate …

Don’t pry too deeply when seeking proof of sick leave

06/01/2002
Under her employer’s sick-leave policy, corrections officer Belinda Fountain had to provide a diagnosis of her medical condition every time she was absent. This “medical certification” had to be on …

Court can enforce flextime, ‘quiet time’ as accommodations

05/01/2002
A file clerk who suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, a recognized disability, was easily distracted and had trouble completing her work. As an accommodation, she asked for permission to do some …

Vacation Accrual Isn’t Required During FMLA Leave

05/01/2002

Q. I’m under the impression that our company is obligated to give employees all vacation accrued up to the time of their FMLA leave, but we’re not obligated to let employees accrue vacation leave during their FMLA leave. Am I right? —B.K., Wisconsin

Stress leave: How much must you accommodate?

03/01/2002
Do any of these situations sound familiar? At Aon Corp., which lost many workers in the World Trade Center attack, groups …

Capping Sick Pay

03/01/2002

Q. One of our managers has medical problems (she qualifies for the ADA and is in an age-protected class) and has used a significant amount of sick pay. Because we don’t have a defined sick pay policy, this manager is paid sick time whenever she’s out (full day or half day). How can we legally cap this? Is the development of a policy with specific hours our only alternative? —F.E., Georgia

Ex-employees: Gone but not forgotten Courts’ broader definition of ’employee’ expands your liability

02/01/2002
Who are your employees? Seems like a pretty simple question. But, as in several aspects of employment law, the answer may surprise you. Two recent court rulings illustrate how, in …