• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Employment Law

Approach employee directly to discuss accommodations

07/01/2007

The ADA requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for disabled applicants and employees. And those accommodations must be based on an agreement between the disabled individual and the employer, using an “interactive process” …

Check policies for impact on older applicants and employees

07/01/2007

Ever since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2005, older workers and applicants have been able to prevail in age discrimination suits if they can show that an employer’s policy or hiring standard has a so-called “disparate impact” on those over 40 years old …

You can require arbitration of federal and Michigan discrimination claims

07/01/2007

Good news if you’ve ever wondered whether that arbitration clause you had your employees sign is valid. As long as certain conditions are met, employers can require employees to sign an arbitration agreement as a condition of employment …

After cleaning out his desk, he cleaned out their data, too

07/01/2007

A disgruntled former IT worker for Pentastar Aviation in Waterford hacked into the company’s systems and deleted sensitive employee data, causing $34,000 in damages. He’s now facing criminal charges …

Court finds Wayne State responded adequately to harassment claims

07/01/2007

According to the U.S. District Court, Eastern District, Wayne State University appropriately handled sexual harassment complaints by an assistant director in the university’s Center for Chicano-Boricua Studies …

Discrimination probe stirs more complaints about Michigan DNR

07/01/2007

Six months after a state investigation revealed an “oppressive culture” of intolerance and bullying toward women and blacks in the Law Enforcement Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the agency is still reviewing the report, and other employees have stepped forward to reinforce its findings …

Keeping your customers after your employees go to a competitor

07/01/2007

Noncompete agreements protect employers should an employee leave and go to work for a competitor. But what happens if there isn’t a noncompetition agreement in place? Does an employer have any remedy against a former employee? …

Can we install in-Plant security cameras without telling employees?

07/01/2007

Q. We have a theft problem in our plant. Our plant manager would like to install security cameras at key locations and exits, and would like to do this without telling our employees so that we can catch the guilty party. Is there any reason why we should not proceed with installing the cameras? …

You are required to notify employees who have been exposed to air contaminants

07/01/2007

Q. What are the requirements for eliminating welding fumes? According to recent air contaminant testing, our employees are exposed to fumes that exceed the permissible limit. Michigan OSHA (MIOSHA) has not inspected us. Are we required to notify MIOSHA or the federal OSHA of the test results? Are we required to notify anyone else? …

Essential job functions may include shift work

07/01/2007

Q. We have a three-shift operation, and all employees are required to rotate and work on each shift. We are reviewing an employee’s request to be excused from moving from the day shift to the afternoon shift. The employee’s doctor says that his patient should not work the afternoon and midnight shifts for medical reasons, which we believe are valid. Are we required to honor this request? …