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Minnesota

Employee misconduct bars unemployment benefits

05/17/2017
Employees who are terminated for misconduct aren’t eligible for unemployment compensation benefits. Just about any breach of an employer’s rules amounts to misconduct.

Minnesota Supreme Court: Discriminatory animus not required in pregnancy bias case

05/17/2017
The Minnesota Supreme Court has remanded a case involving pregnancy discrimination. The trial court will have to decide whether an employer revoked a job offer due to pregnancy.

When promoting from within, make sure you provide anti-harassment training

05/17/2017
Remember, employers can be held liable for managerial harassment, even if they’re unaware that anything wrong is happening. Show your good-faith effort to prevent harassment by documenting that you provided training to new managers.

Mere annoyances don’t add up to retaliation

05/17/2017
Employees who have filed hostile work environment claims are allowed to sue their employers who retaliate against them for complaining. However, minor annoyances aren’t enough to constitute retaliation.

Tough economy no excuse for pay bias

05/17/2017
The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that an economic downturn cannot be used as an excuse to justify continuing unequal pay under the Equal Pay Act.

When employees sue you, resist temptation to sue them, too

05/10/2017
“Can’t we sue them for this?” That’s the sentiment many employers express after being on the receiving end of a lawsuit that they think is based on untrue facts. Although it is never satisfying to be told “that wouldn’t be a good idea,” this is generally the right answer for various reasons.

Do we have to comply? Former employee demands to know why he was terminated

04/19/2017
Q. We fired a worker for poor performance, but we didn’t tell him exactly why. Now he is demanding the discharge reason in writing. What do we do?

Under ‘ban the box,’ how to handle criminal background checks

04/19/2017
Beginning during the Great Recession, the EEOC began to aggressively push for what has become known as “ban the box”—shorthand for prohibiting employers from asking about past criminal history before making a job offer.

University of Minnesota study uncovers work hazards exotic dancers face

04/19/2017
New research may lead to increased regulation of Minneapolis adult entertainment venues.

Beware class actions in wage-and-hour cases

04/19/2017
It doesn’t take much for a court to approve a class-action overtime lawsuit if it is clear that a company policy affected everyone in the same job classification.