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Employment Law

Whistle-blowers need good faith, not proof

07/13/2015

When a New York City employee purports to report wrongdoing on the part of the city government, all that’s required is a good-faith belief that the alleged conduct constituted an “improper governmental action.” It’s illegal to retaliate against an employee who makes such a report.

Discipline OK, even when worker could use FMLA

07/13/2015

Some supervisors hesitate to discipline employees who have asked for FMLA leave or seem likely to need it soon. Reassure them that they can and should discipline those who break company rules or perform poorly, even if they are ill or may need FMLA leave. The key is to focus on behavior.

4 steps: Pre- and post-birth FMLA compliance

07/13/2015
Many employers think expectant mothers can take FMLA leave only for childbirth and baby bonding. But any medical appointments and pregnancy-related illnesses are eligible for FMLA leave, too. Here’s how to handle FMLA time off for pregnancy and afterward.

What’s a ‘serious’ condition? Routine care doesn’t trigger FMLA protection

07/10/2015
The FMLA is supposed to protect employees from losing their jobs when they can’t work due to a serious health condition.

Settled with the EEOC? That’s the end of it

07/10/2015
Here’s some good news—and more incentive to settle discrimination cases before the EEOC: If the agreement is signed, sealed and delivered, the employee can’t later sue in federal court to have the agreement invalidated—even if she has seemingly good reasons to argue she didn’t consent to or otherwise wasn’t capable of settling the case.

How does a tip credit work with minimum wage?

07/09/2015
Q. May we count tips received by our employees, including restaurant servers, toward the payment of their minimum wage?

How should we handle news that employee previously signed a noncompete agreement?

07/09/2015
Q. We received a letter from a competitor informing us that our new employee used to work for them and is now in violation of noncompetition agreement with the competitor. What should we do?

Of gangs, G-Men and a dogged cop: Careful discipline prevails in court

07/09/2015

Employers that take their time to discipline troublesome employees who refuse to follow the rules often make out well if that employee later sues. That’s because they will have clear and unambiguous evidence that the employee deserved the discipline—not because he was a troublemaker, but because he couldn’t follow the rules others did.

Suit filed? Arbitration pact may still work

07/09/2015
Employers use arbitration agreements to keep employment-related litigation out of the courts. But what if you don’t have an arbitration agreement in place when former employees file a wage-and-hour class action lawsuit against your company? Can you suddenly spring an arbitration agreement on current employees and expect it to work? Surprisingly, yes, according to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals.

NLRB’s relentless attack on employment policies continues

07/09/2015
In recent years, the National Labor Relations Board has steadily, aggressively increased its scrutiny of employment policies found in almost every employee handbook. Seemingly well-intentioned and generally accepted policies have been found to violate the National Labor Relations Act because they are seen as chilling employee rights to engage in protected, concerted activity.