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Employment Law

Bosses make hiring decision within 10 minutes

06/01/2007

While execs spend an average of 55 minutes interviewing staff-level applicants (and 86 minutes for management candidates), they form an opinion of job-seekers in an average of 10 minutes …

Spike in immigration raids: enforcement or politics?

06/01/2007

Immigration raids at U.S. workplaces have jumped by more than 50 percent in the past six months, according to new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stats. ICE is also stepping up prosecution of employers …

Survey: Men Upset About Female Co-Workers’ Flex Time

06/01/2007

Remind managers that approvals for flex-time requests should be gender-neutral. A new Adecco survey shows that men believe that moms at their workplace are given special treatment when it comes to flex time …

Design bonus payments to reduce OT liability

06/01/2007
Do you hand out discretionary bonuses? If so, you may be paying more overtime than necessary—and mishandling bonus payments could land you in court.

EEOC grip tightens: New strategy = more cases

06/01/2007

Be alert: A seemingly small bureaucratic change at the EEOC could lead to an increasing number of employment-related lawsuits filed by the agency, plus more-targeted enforcement …

As Same-Sex Unions Spread, So Do Job Protections

06/01/2007

New Hampshire last month voted to give same-sex couples the same legal rights as other couples, making New England the first region in which every state provides some sort of protection for the civil unions of same-sex partners …

‘How may I insult you?’ Rude salespeople ignite bias suits

06/01/2007

You’d think the sight of customers paying retail prices with real green money would be a sight for a salesperson’s sore eyes. That apparently wasn’t the case at a Dillard’s department store in Kansas City, which is now facing a messy lawsuit after a saleswoman shunned a customer …

Pregnant employees: Where can you draw the line?

06/01/2007

Pregnant employees and applicants are protected by two federal employment laws: the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the FMLA …

Can a New Mom Demand Part-Time Schedule?

06/01/2007

Q. We had a full-time employee take FMLA leave to have her baby. After her 12 weeks off, she demanded a part-time schedule. We need the position to be filled full time. The shift we want her to work is the one she was working before she took FMLA leave. Do we have to let her work the schedule she wants?—E.L., Connecticut

The right way to check validity of doctor’s note

06/01/2007

Q. Our company requires a doctor’s note for employees who are out sick more than two days. Sometimes the notes look like something the cat dragged in. Can we call the doctor’s office to simply verify the note is real?—E.W., Pennsylvania