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Employment Law

4 questions to ask yourself before you call someone on leave

09/23/2018
The wheels of business stop for no one, and when an employee goes out on leave—FMLA or otherwise—it’s surprising how quickly the inconveniences mount. The urge to pick up the phone or dash off a quick email to ask a simple question just to keep the wheels moving is powerful, but pause for a moment before you do it and ask:

Turning a deaf ear to insults: A $500,000 mistake

09/20/2018
Your managers probably know it’s unlawful to discriminate in hiring and firing based on a person’s age or disability. But they may not realize that same law makes it unlawful to verbally harass workers based on those protected characteristics.

Hotel panic buttons are sign of #MeToo’s clout

09/20/2018
Other than a flurry of anti-harassment training, concrete action to prevent workplace harassment since the #MeToo movement took off has been notably absent—until now.

Yes, emailed arbitration agreement is valid

09/20/2018
These days, an electronic signature on an acknowledgment receipt is as good as a handwritten signature on a piece of paper. That’s true even for actual contracts such as arbitration agreements.

First employee walk-outs related to #MeToo movement

09/20/2018
On Sept. 18, female employees at McDonald’s franchises in nearly a dozen cities staged a one-day walkout to pressure the company to get tough on managers who sexually harass workers in the restaurants.

DOL offers post-Florence assistance

09/18/2018
The U.S. Department of Labor will provide assistance to workers in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina who lose their jobs because of Hurricane Florence.

Disability is no excuse for poor performance

09/17/2018
Disabled workers are entitled to reasonable accommodations that allow them to perform the essential functions of their jobs. However, accommodations must be related to the disability. They can’t serve as an excuse not to perform essential job functions.

NLRB proposes looser joint-employer standard

09/17/2018
The National Labor Relations Board wants to revise the rule that determines if two employers can be considered joint employers for the purpose of deciding labor-management disputes.

The ‘new’ ADA: How to handle employee disabilities

09/16/2018
When Congress expanded the Americans with Disabilities Act in 2009, it broadened the circle of people eligible for ADA rights even wider. That has led to a spike in people filing ADA-related legal claims. Here’s what managers need to know about the ADA:

Murphy Oil will funnel $100,000 to former manager

09/13/2018
A San Antonio-area Murphy Oil gas station will pay $100,000 to a manager it fired, settling charges it violated the ADA when it failed to accommodate his disability.