Employment Law

Pennsylvania settles world’s most predictable lawsuit

08/30/2017

The Pennsylvania State Office of Public Records has agreed to pay $60,000 to settle an EEOC age discrimination lawsuit that alleged it passed over a seasoned, older attorney to hire a less experienced, young applicant for an appeals officer position.

What steps can we take to keep pay from being discussed?

08/28/2017

Q: “Is it legal for a small, privately-held business to make it company policy that staff are not to discuss their contracts, pay or benefits with each other? If the policy is violated, is it legal to make it grounds for termination after three write-ups?” – Lisa, Virginia

EEOC on the way? Prepare your supervisors

08/24/2017

If you haven’t had to interact with EEOC investigators yet, chances are you will eventually. And a supervisor who hasn’t been properly prepared to deal with EEOC investigators can sink your case fast.

Deciding contractor status reverts to 6-factor test

08/22/2017

Companies now have greater flexibility to engage outside labor without fear they will be charged with trying to dodge minimum wage or overtime rules.

Ford to pay $10 million to settle EEOC harassment charges

08/22/2017

Ford Motor Company has agreed to pay $10.125 million to settle EEOC charges of sex and race harassment against a group of employees at two Ford plants in Illinois.

Federal contractors: Dust off government shutdown plans

08/22/2017

It’s that time of year again: With the threat of a government shutdown looming Sept. 30, HR pros working for federal government contractors should pull out their contingency plans for temporarily furloughing employees who do work for Uncle Sam.

Move on if employee won’t discuss ADA accommodation

08/21/2017

Employers are supposed to engage in the interactive accommodations process with disabled workers to arrive at workable accommodations. But what if the employee stops communicating with HR about suggested accommodations?

When contractual matters are on the line, beware casual online click-thrus

08/21/2017

Unless you can verify that the employee did in fact complete your process, it may not actually bind employees to any contractual provisions such as arbitration agreements.

Never mention workers’ ages when discussing reduction in force

08/21/2017

What not to do when closing down offices in which workers are older than the company average: Mention that eventually you may be able to hire younger replacements at lower cost. That’s just asking for a lawsuit.

White hood was a joke? No one’s laughing now

08/17/2017

When Kenneth, who is black, complained that his co-workers used a white hood to harass and intimidate him, management told him the incident was meant as a joke.