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Employment Law

Do interns have to be paid?

09/01/2003

Q. We plan on hiring a college intern this year. Do we have to pay that person? —L.M., New York

Post all job openings in-House

09/01/2003

Q. We typically don’t post high-level management openings internally. Should we? —K.L., California

You can require mandatory overtime

09/01/2003

Q. A new employee has just informed his supervisor that he can’t work any overtime. Can we legally fire this person? —G.M., Virginia

Dump strict English-only policy; EEOC cracks down

09/01/2003
Issue: Requiring employees to speak English can be legally risky.
Risk: Overly broad or misguided policies can trigger a national-origin discrimination complaint …

Paying for travel time: Know the rules of the road

09/01/2003
Issue: Paying nonexempt workers for travel time can be tricky, especially if it involves several work sites or overnight travel.
Risk: Thousands of dollars, or more, in back pay …

Perform ‘spot check’ for offensive pictures, calendars

09/01/2003
The EEOC recently slapped a Pennsylvania steel plant with a sexual harassment lawsuit. The alleged crime? It “condoned sexual harassment” by allowing some employees to post erotic pictures, posters and calendars …

‘Free speech’ no protection to workers

08/01/2003
The next time an employee argues that he has a First Amendment right to say whatever he wants at work, wear a T-shirt with a controversial message or display …

Never assume a pregnant employee is unable to work; ask questions

08/01/2003
Under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), you can’t fire a pregnant worker simply because of her condition. Nor can you force her to take leave as long as she’s physically …

Allow applicants to answer negative background-check results

08/01/2003
It’s true that your company could be held liable if it rejects an applicant based on inaccurate data in his background check. But don’t stop doing background …

ADA UPDATE

08/01/2003
A pair of recent Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) rulings provide two important lessons for employers: First, have well-written job descriptions for each position …