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

HR Management

Check arbitration pacts against these standards

10/01/2000

Q. To hold down litigation costs and resolve disputes faster, we’re thinking about requiring employees to sign arbitration agreements that would make them arbitrate employment disputes instead of going to court. Are these agreements legal? —C.R., California

Even ‘tolerable’ harassment will nail you

10/01/2000
For months, Richard Corliss hurled racial slurs at two African-American co-workers at McDonald’s. When the two women complained, their supervisor said he couldn’t control Corliss’ mouth, claimed he didn’t know how …

No special protection for morning sickness

10/01/2000
After 20 unexcused absences in a year, Jennifer Dormeyer was fired from her job as a bank teller. She claimed nine of the absences were because of morning sickness and sued …

Set reasonable limits on noncompete agreements

09/01/2000
Redd Pest Control tried to turn its financial fortunes around by setting a $7,500 per-month quota for each technician’s route. Wayne Foster and Isadore Smith …

Beware greater use of job-discrimination ‘testers.’

09/01/2000
A federal appeals court says that people who pose as job applicants solely to find out if a company discriminates in hiring can still sue the employer under Title VII. These …

Lost the case? Ask for damages to be spelled out.

09/01/2000
A former car dealership employee won an Americans with Disabilities Act case and a $1.05 million jury award for lost back wages, lost future wages …

Background checks: Close holes in your employee screens

09/01/2000
The frantic competition for workers has caused many companies to become lax about screening job candidates. That’s not smart. Liars, thieves and violent criminals …

Set policies on which software employees can download

09/01/2000
Legal experts warn that employers could get caught up in the current battle over the legality of programs that let users download music free off the Internet. If employees …

Federal contractors may face labor ‘litmus test’

09/01/2000
A new regulation that would deny federal contracts based on a company’s labor and tax records may be in place by year-end. The Clinton administration proposed …

Waiver protection is limited

09/01/2000

Q. Many of my former employees want me to provide post-employment references, but I’m afraid of liability. Can I ask them to sign a release giving me permission to provide references that would absolve me from any liability? —A.K., Virginia