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Employment Law

Ignoring discrimination policy may lead to punitive damages

05/01/2007

Train supervisors and managers to report religious and other discrimination, and be sure they know not to retaliate against anyone who does come forward. Ohio state law bars discrimination based on religion and other protected characteristics, and employees who can show they were discriminated against can collect punitive damages …

Injury that occurs on way to time clock is covered by workers’ comp

05/01/2007

If you haven’t checked for obstructions, hazards or other safety problems around the company time clock or on the way to it, you should. Check the lunchroom for hazards, too. Ohio’s workers’ compensation law covers employees who are injured while on their way to clock in or out, or while on unpaid breaks or at lunch …

Turns out, what you don’t say can hurt you

05/01/2007

Boston-based IT services provider Keane Inc. faces a discrimination suit because of what a manager didn’t say when an employee announced she was pregnant with twins …   

Third time’s the charm: KeyBank teller headed to court

05/01/2007

A former bank teller is suing Cleveland-based KeyBank after she was robbed at gunpoint three times while working in the company’s Ellet branch. After the last robbery, she claims she was forced to quit due to severe emotional distress …

Good sense or meddling? Scotts’ no-Smoking policy tested in court

05/01/2007

Marysville-based Scotts Miracle-Gro faces a discrimination suit from a lawn care technician fired last fall after testing positive for nicotine in violation of the company’s tobacco-free workplace policy …

Boot rest: $5. Disability lawsuit: $272,500.

05/01/2007

Chester Hoist, headquartered in Lisbon, will pay $272,000 for discriminating against an inspector who was disabled on the job. …

Workers’ Comp: Ohio’s Top Court Says ‘Tough Luck’ to Safety Slackers

05/01/2007

The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that employees who fail to follow safety instructions abandon their jobs in doing so and are not covered by workers’ compensation. While this may save employers some workers’ comp dollars in the short-term, it complicates the future of workers’ comp as the exclusive remedy for injured workers …

Worker doesn’t have to say ‘Harassment’ to make claim

05/01/2007

Don’t wait for employees to use the magic words—“sexual harassment”—to begin investigating a complaint. It’s up to you and your management team to decipher an employee’s protests to determine if they could fall into that legally dangerous harassment-complaint zone …

Loose-Lips Alert: Train managers and supervisors that press comments carry weight

05/01/2007

If you don’t have a public relations department to handle press inquiries, make sure you train managers and supervisors on how not to talk to the press …

New worry: Maintain security or face lawsuits from injured rescuers, too

05/01/2007

As if you didn’t have enough to worry about in this day and age of workplace violence, now the New Jersey Supreme Court has added another problem: You must make sure you take reasonable measures to provide a safe workplace, or police and firefighters responding to an emergency can sue your company for damages …