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Employment Law

Commissioned finance managers are still exempt from overtime

07/01/2005
Last year’s overtime regulations prompted many retail-industry employers to review their compensation structures. But, as the case below shows, if you’re a retailer and have commissioned employees on staff, it’s likely …

Keep staff vacation schedules away from public view

07/01/2005
With summer-vacation season here, you may be tracking employees’ comings and goings using schedules posted on a bulletin board or online. But not everyone thinks so highly of publicly posted …

Find qualified disabled applicants with DOL’s online network

07/01/2005
The U.S. Labor Department launched a campaign to build awareness of its Employer Assistance & Recruiting Network (EARN), which matches skilled disabled employees with private-sector job openings. The site, www.earnworks.com, has …

Can favoritism amount to a ‘hostile’ work environment?

07/01/2005
As if there weren’t enough complications when co-workers are paramours, here’s another: Those who aren’t part
of the love affair feel slighted when
the bedded ones are promoted, and …

Employee returning from FMLA? Alter pay only in rare situations

07/01/2005
When employees return from FMLA leave, they’re entitled to their same or equivalent position, pay and working conditions. If you try to place someone in a lower paying or lower-prestige job, …

Courts require you to adapt technology for disabled staff

07/01/2005
The world of disability accommodation is complex. New adaptive technologies hit the market every day. How can employers keep up?
The answer varies depending on your organization’s resources. Large companies, …

Check state law before firing victim of a stalker

07/01/2005

Q. One of our female employees says her ex-boyfriend is stalking her. She hasn’t been able to get a restraining order against him. We’re worried that he may show up and do her or other workers harm. Can we fire or suspend her? —B.L., Florida

Train managers how to spot bias and take complaints

07/01/2005
Issue: Employers can be liable for sexual harassment if they “knew or should have known” about it but failed to act.
Risk: Courts increasingly say you “know” of harassment once …

Don’t base hiring decisions on applicants’ childbirth plans

07/01/2005
Issue: Who qualifies for protection under the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA)?
Risk: Many supervisors mistakenly believe that women must be pregnant to be covered under PDA. Not true.
…

The dangers of playing doctor with employee ailments

07/01/2005
Issue: Supervisors must be responsive to employees’ disabilities, but they shouldn’t overaccommodate them.
Risk: If supervisors voice their own assumptions about the disabilities’ impact, they could spark an ADA lawsuit. …