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Q&A

Can we require repayment of moving expenses if a new employee quits?

08/22/2008
Q. Our company plans to hire a manager who will move to North Carolina from out of state. We will pay her moving expenses. Can we recoup those payments if she quits after moving here? …

What are the rules on recording an investigative conversation?

08/22/2008
Q. We need to investigate a claim of misconduct against an employee and will interview the employee in person or over the phone. May we record the conversation without telling the employee? …

Is it permissible to recover education reimbursements from final paychecks?

08/22/2008
Q. Our company has a program that reimburses employees for work-related educational programs. However, if the employee leaves the company within one year of the reimbursement payment, the employee must repay the company. Can we take this repayment out of the employee’s final paycheck? …

Termination by phone: legal but unwise

08/21/2008
Q. We have an employee who has been working from home. We’ve decided we really need someone in the office. Can we terminate her by phone? Or do we have to call her into the office? — V.N., Florida …

Employee handbooks: Are they mandatory?

08/21/2008
Q. I just joined a new company that’s never had an employee handbook and doesn’t seem interested in doing so.  Do we have to create one? — K.D., Colorado …

Dealing with negative leave balances

08/21/2008
Q. I know I must pay exempt employees their full salaries even if they have no accrued benefits in their leave plans and their accounts have negative balances. But can I keep negative balance tallies and then subtract the negative balances as the employees earn more leave? — T.C., Virginia …

Workers’ comp for off-Site accidents during breaks?

08/21/2008
Q. Some of our employees leave the premises during their 10-minute breaks during the day. If they get into accidents, is the company at risk? — G.F., Colorado …

Can we withhold pay from workers who clock in early?

08/19/2008

Q. Some of our nonexempt employees occasionally begin work before their established starting times. We’ve always paid them for this time, but I’ve recently read that Georgia employers don’t have to pay an employee for such time if the early start was not approved in advance. Is this true? …

Verifying employment eligibility: Whom should we check?

08/19/2008
Q. I know Georgia’s Security and Immigration Compliance Act requires all state contractors and subcontractors to verify the citizenship of their employees. But how do I know which employees must be verified?…

What are the E-Verify time limits?

08/19/2008
Q. What is the required time frame for conducting an employment eligibility check on a newly hired employee under E-Verify? Am I required to run the check before the employee begins work? …