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Employment Law

Tighten I-9 practices in advance of new legislation

06/01/2006

While Congress tries to hammer out the biggest immigration law changes in decades, Homeland Security is already cracking down. These developments will likely add new responsibilities and risks to your I-9 and visa practices …

Set rules on personal use of company cars

06/01/2006

During his lunch break, an employee at a California car dealership drove a company car on a personal errand. He rear-ended another car and injured the driver, who sued the car dealership and won $277,662 in damages. The dealership’s handbook offered no specifics regarding personal use of company property …

New guidelines sound alarm on race, color bias

06/01/2006

The EEOC just revamped its guidance on racial and color discrimination in the workplace. These changes signal increased race-bias enforcement, plus more EEOC attention to "subtle" discrimination …

FMLA absence shouldn’t trigger attendance penalty

06/01/2006

Q. We have a point system for absences and lateness. Our no-fault attendance policy states that if employees call off after the start of their shift, they’ll receive two points. What if the reason for the absence is covered by the FMLA? Should the employee still receive the two points? —C.S., Florida

Don’t let opinions of employees cloud your decisions

06/01/2006
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Inappropriate nicknames can lead to bias lawsuits

06/01/2006
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‘Excellent’ job review can still be considered retaliation

06/01/2006

Giving someone an "excellent" performance rating may seem like a nondiscriminatory act. But, as a new court case shows, high praise can still be deemed retaliation if the review is worse than a previous one and it hurts the employee’s ability to earn a bonus or promotion …

A Costly Lesson in Allowing Off-the-Clock Work

06/01/2006

Make sure supervisors understand what counts as "paid time" and remind them that they should not encourage employees to work off the clock. Example of the risk: Compass Bank of Birmingham, Ala., recently shelled out more than $1 million in unpaid overtime to 2,961 employees …

Rid handbooks of risky outdated policies

06/01/2006

If it’s been awhile since the last overhaul of your employee handbook, you may be courting danger. Establish a regular revision schedule for your handbook, updating it once a year or whenever significant statutory changes occur …

Team-Building Events: Fun is good; employee humiliation is bad

06/01/2006

It’s summertime, and corporate thoughts turn to company picnics and outdoor morale-boosting efforts. One word of caution: If your team-building exercises go beyond three-legged sack races and into the realm of reality TV, you could be headed for a lawsuit …