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Employment Law

You must grant FMLA leave for employee who must care for badly injured adult child

07/29/2011

Eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid FMLA leave to care for a seriously ill son or daughter. That’s true for young children, of course, but also for those older than 18 who are “incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability.” Don’t split hairs on this.

Know Texas deadlines for bias complaints

07/29/2011

Texas employees who claim they have been sexually harassed must file a complaint with the Texas Work­­force Commission Civil Rights Division within 180 days of the harassment. But that time limit doesn’t mean that only those acts of harassment that happened in the immediately preceding 180 days will be considered. In fact, any related acts that may have occurred earlier may be pulled into the litigation as part of a continual violation claim.

Sure, the Galleria is swanky, but is it worth a lawsuit?

07/29/2011
A former manager at Capital Title of Texas has filed suit in federal court in Houston, claiming the company fired her for refusing to color her gray hair. She claims her boss told her to dye her hair because the office was moving from Katy to the Galleria area.

Pregnant worker? Congratulate, don’t speculate

07/29/2011
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: When an employee announces her pregnancy, the only appropriate response is “Con­grat­u­la­tions!” Anything else may end up being used against you later if things don’t go smoothly.

When disaster strikes, are employees eligible for FMLA?

07/29/2011
With tornados, floods and fires topping the news in recent months, a question arises: What’s an employer’s obligation to give FMLA leave when the disaster affects employees or their families?

Online tool helps employers record worker injuries/illnesses

07/28/2011
After an injury occurs at work, do you know how (or even if) you should keep a record? OSHA recently unveiled a new online tool, the OSHA Recordkeeping Advisor, that uses a Q&A format to help you decide.

White teachers file bias suit against Philly schools

07/27/2011
Thomas Mifflin Elementary School in Philadelphia has been roiled by news of a lawsuit filed by four white teachers who claim they are victims of race discrimination.

Giving employee the Sabbath day off: When is it an ‘undue hardship’?

07/27/2011

Federal religious discrimination law (Title VII) says employers are obligated to “reasonably accommodate” an employee’s religious belief and practices, unless doing so would cause an “undue hardship” to the organization. In this case, accommodating an employee’s request for every Sabbath day off could effectively invalidate a collective-bargaining seniority system and create a real hardship for the other employees who would have to work instead.

Are we required to verify ex-employee’s info?

07/27/2011
Q. Sometimes, we get calls from government agencies or collection agencies seeking employment verification. Do we have to provide the information?

Should we log independent contractors’ hours?

07/26/2011
Q. Does asking independent contractors to complete a time sheet jeopardize their contractor status?