Employment Law

Maternity leave repayment may be discriminatory

06/01/2001

Q. Our maternity leave policy offers paid leave for female employees who plan to return to work after the birth of the child. If the employee quits before returning to work, she’s required to reimburse the company for the paid leave. Is this lawful? —A.C., Maryland

Employees must know company disclosure limits

06/01/2001

Q. During a recent Internet chat room exchange, an individual self-identified as an employee came to our company’s defense over a recent drop in stock price. The employee came dangerously close to disclosing information about earnings that were not yet public. What should we do? —C.F., New Jersey

ADA accommodation: Not a one-shot deal

05/01/2001

Some days Carolyn Humphrey tried from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. just to get ready for work. She would rinse her hair for up to an hour. If it didn’t “feel …

Administrative staff: Who’s exempt, who’s not?

05/01/2001

Claims representatives at Farmers Insurance Exchange typically worked beyond 40 hours a week. But the company didn’t cough up overtime pay because it said those workers were …

Even religious groups can’t favor employees based on religion

05/01/2001

Diane Roh worked her way up to director of nursing at a nursing home affiliated with the Church of Christ. She wanted to join a program that would train her for …

Discipline, by any name, offers defense against bias claims

05/01/2001

When Hattie Star complained that a co-worker had grabbed her, Star’s supervisor confronted the alleged harasser and told him to stay away from her. The supervisor reported the allegations to his …

Growing threat: Courts uphold broad interpretation of retaliation

05/01/2001

John McMenemy was a lieutenant in the Rochester Fire Department as well as a union officer. He claimed the city twice passed him over for promotion because, while in his union …

Consistent policy, smart response get you off the hook for retaliation

05/01/2001

Barbara von Gunten’s job as an environmental health aide forced her to spend most of the year in a two-person boat collecting water samples. She accused her boat mate of sexual …

Keep age out of mix when deciding who gets education benefits

05/01/2001

Dan Esberg wanted to cash in on his company’s educational assistance program. The company paid Esberg $16,000 for his bachelor’s degree after he had turned 50. But when Esberg decided to …

Don’t assume whether or not workers can pass job tests

05/01/2001

Jade McKenzie never had a negative job review in 10 years with the county sheriff’s department. Then came a psychological meltdown prompted, in part, by post-traumatic stress related to childhood sexual …