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

Q&A

Facility shutdown, vacation and unemployment

12/04/2008

Q. Our facility shuts down for two weeks at the end of the year, and we send most employees home without pay during that time. This is the only vacation time available to the employees sent home. Are those employees eligible for unemployment compensation during the furlough?

Must we allow former employees access to personnel files?

12/04/2008

Q. A former employee has contacted our HR manager demanding a copy of her personnel file. Must we make this available?

How should we handle time off for workers who are emergency volunteers?

12/04/2008

Q. Several employees at our manufacturing facility on the coast are volunteer firefighters and medics. What obligations do we have to those employees who have to miss work to respond to a hurricane or other emergencies?

Can we charge higher premiums for smokers’ health insurance?

12/04/2008

Q. I know North Carolina has a smokers’ rights law. Does this law, or any other law, prevent our company from charging smokers and nonsmokers different group health insurance premiums?

What is ‘blacklisting’?

12/04/2008

Q. What can or can’t we say about a lousy former employee?

What testing can we do if we suspect employee drug abuse?

12/04/2008

Q. Our company has random drug testing. Can we send an employee to be tested for suspicion of drug use?

What’s this I’ve heard about employers doing away with performance evaluations?

12/04/2008

Q. Is it becoming a practice among employers to quit conducting employee evaluations?

When a collection company calls, may we disclose employee medical info?

12/04/2008

Q. May an employer provide an employee’s medical information to a collection company?

Are we responsible for repairing employee’s car damaged on company time?

12/04/2008

Q. Are employers responsible for fixing an employee’s car if it is involved in an accident while traveling to conduct company business on company time?

How much investigation information do we need to give to suspended employee?

12/04/2008

Q. If we suspend an employee “pending investigation,” what information must we provide to the employee?