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Employment Law

Biased pay policies cost school district millions

04/25/2008
A federal jury has awarded $1.2 million to 12 teachers who sued the Elizabeth Forward School District in Allegheny County for age discrimination. The teachers alleged they were hired at the lowest pay scale because they were older women …

7 steps for conducting effective workplace investigations

04/25/2008
Inevitably, your organization will have to conduct a workplace investigation. It may be because an employee has alleged discrimination, or perhaps someone has stolen something. Whatever the reason, an investigation is in order—and you have to get it right. An inadequate investigation can do more harm than good …

Is comp time legal in lieu of overtime?

04/25/2008
Q. Can our company legally offer comp time instead of overtime? I’ve received conflicting answers. …

Do we have to provide a job application even if we’re not hiring?

04/25/2008
Q. If we don’t have a job opening, are we required to hand out applications to anyone who asks? Or can we just say that we’re not taking applications at this time? …

Does your workplace need an employee civility code?

04/24/2008
If it seems like you’re hearing more vulgar words and behavior spewing forth from employees these days, you’re not alone. It may be time to draft a simple employee civility policy or code of conduct that is separate from your harassment policy. Such a policy gives you more legal leverage to discipline employees who are equal-opportunity verbal abusers. It could protect you if you’re ever sued …

Federal minimum wage takes another jump on July 24

04/24/2008
On July 24, the federal minimum wage will take the second step in its three-step increase. The wage floor will rise from its current $5.85 per hour to $6.55 per hour …

Most workers have just 180 days to file discrimination charges

04/23/2008
Good news for North Carolina employers: Most employees have just 180 days to file discrimination claims against their employers. That applies to all employees except those who work in New Hanover County or for the state of North Carolina. Those employees have 300 days to file …

Treat all harassers equally, regardless of their sex

04/23/2008
In what may be a sign of growing equality, more men are complaining about sexual harassment by their female co-workers and supervisors. Although female harassers may still be in the minority, that’s no reason to dismiss claims that men make …

Gender barriers falling? Ensure equal treatment for both sexes

04/23/2008
Some jobs are still dominated by either men or women, and those employees may not welcome with open arms the first member of the opposite sex. Before dumping the new employee into the workplace, make sure you do everything you can to ensure equal treatment in all important aspects of the job. Otherwise, you may find yourself facing a lawsuit over unequal treatment …

Don’t stop at religious accommodation; end harassment, too

04/23/2008
Many organizations pride themselves on offering religious accommodations. But some may be a little too quick to pat themselves on the back. It’s not enough to simply offer religious accommodations such as flexible schedules or shift swapping to allow worship or even prayer breaks …