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Employment Law

Too small for FMLA? Think again; you may be an ‘integrated employer’

09/01/2003
If your company has fewer than 50 workers, yet is somehow linked to another employer or location, you may incorrectly believe that you don’t need to comply with …

You have new ammunition against ‘Collective action’ overtime lawsuits

09/01/2003

When slapped with a pay-related lawsuit, the last thing you want is for other employees and ex-employees to piggyback on that suit, creating a big "collective action" case. Good news: AA new court ruling highlights a successful defense against such suits …

Spot check your workplace for offensive material

09/01/2003
The EEOC is suing a Pennsylvania steel plant for condoning sexual harassment by allowing offensive pictures, posters and calendars in the office. The lawsuit claims a shipping clerk and other female …

Secondhand smoke leads to multimillion-dollar penalty

09/01/2003
If your workplace still allows smoking, consider this: A New York jury awarded $5.27 million to a sales director of a modeling firm who claimed that secondhand smoke subjected her …

Dump strict language policy; EEOC cracks down

09/01/2003
If your company requires employees to speak English at all times (even lunch hours and breaks), drop that policy now. Such broad English-only rules violate Title VII.
And even if …

FMLA doesn’t apply to workers who try to deceive you

09/01/2003
If you discover that one of your employees has either misused or lied about his leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), you’re well within your rights to fire …

EEOC proposes age-bias exemption for retiree health plans

09/01/2003
In an effort to stem the tide of companies discontinuing health benefits to retirees, the EEOC has proposed ex-empting retiree health plans from the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).
…

Use telecommuters? Defuse 5 main lawsuit threats

09/01/2003
Telecommuting is popular with employers and employees. Com-panies with telecommuting programs can realize productivity gains, im-proved morale …

Organize your personnel files to minimize legal risk

09/01/2003

THE LAW. Maintaining personnel files can be a chore, but it’s the most important element in defending against claims from employees, ex-employees and regulators …

Pay for After-Hours Event if It’s Work-Related

09/01/2003

Q. Can we require full-time nonexempt employees to attend work-related functions after regular hours? If so, should this time be compensated? —M.A., Texas