• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Employment Law

Late FMLA notice: When must you cut slack?

09/21/2010
Last year’s FMLA regulations gave employers new powers to demand notification from employees. But while you can now hold employees to your “usual and customary” notice procedures when they’re notifying you of unexpected FMLA leave, you must allow some flexibility for emergency circumstances.

Courts frown on bosses blaming subordinates for shortcomings

09/20/2010

Here’s something to consider when disciplining a supervisor or manager: She probably won’t be able to get away with blaming a subordinate for her own poor performance. Employers are entitled to expect managers to manage.

Weight discrimination: The next big protected category?

09/20/2010
Can employees be fired for being too fat? The topic is heating up, due in part to national headlines gained by two Hooters waitresses in Michigan who claim they were fired for being overweight. A judge has given them the green light to bring their cases to trial. 

Must we pay premium during unpaid leave?

09/17/2010
Q. I am a small employer with a group medical plan. If an employee takes an approved unpaid leave of absence, am I required to continue my premium subsidy during the unpaid leave? We have 22 employees and aren’t required to comply with FMLA.

What are the new rules for nursing mothers?

09/16/2010
Q. Could you give us some guidance on our requirement to provide breaks for nursing mothers?

Must we provide health insurance coverage for employees’ adult children?

09/16/2010
Q. How does the new health care reform law affect coverage for adult dependent children under a group health plan?

How will Illinois’ wage law change next year?

09/16/2010
Q. How are employees affected by the amendment to the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act?

When it comes to discrimination, the customer isn’t always right

09/16/2010
Employment discrimination has been illegal for decades, but prejudice lives on. Even if bigoted customers insist on discriminating because of race, employers must still comply with the law.

WIU settles with coach who was fired after cancer diagnosis

09/16/2010
Western Illinois University has settled a wrongful discharge claim with former head football coach Don Patterson, who lost his job after learning he had cancer.

EEOC looks at last-chance agreements barring lawsuits

09/16/2010

Steven Whitlow, an employee at a Cognis plant in Kankakee, signed a last-chance agreement that forfeited his right to file charges against Cognis with any civil rights commission or government authority. Later, Whitlow rescinded his agreement, stating that he did not want to waive his civil rights. When Cognis terminated him, he filed a complaint with the EEOC.