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Terminations

Target learns cost of ignoring an abusive manager: $775,000

03/01/2007

Retail giant Target recently shelled out $775,000 to settle an EEOC lawsuit over the treatment of 13 black workers at its Springfield store …

FMLA: When You Can Refuse to Reinstate a Worker

02/12/2007

HR Law 101: The FMLA allows employers to refuse to reinstate workers returning from FMLA leave under limited circumstances. For example, if you have experienced a reduction in force due to the economy or a companywide reorganization, you may be able to eliminate a returning worker’s job …

Draft severance packages to comply with age-Bias law

02/01/2007

When employers offer severance packages to employees age 40 or older, those packages must comply with the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act …

Swift Galey employees given second shot at federal assistance

02/01/2007

About 800 former employees of the bankrupt Swift Galey textile plant in Muscogee County recently won a second chance at re-employment assistance under the U.S. Trade Act …

North Carolina Wage Payment and Collection Act

02/01/2007

The North Carolina Wage Payment and Collection Act seems like it should be rather simple, but it’s perhaps the most complicated employment law in the state. Full of traps for the unwary, the law can spell big trouble for even innocent mistakes. The law covers all North Carolina private employers, even those with only one employee, and requires employers to pay their employees monthly …

Managers who hire for ‘Right look’ may be discriminating

02/01/2007

Image is everything, as the saying goes. But be extra careful that your pursuit of a certain work-force image doesn’t result in the weeding out of legally protected employees (females, minorities, older workers, etc.) …

Consistent discipline: Your best defense against firing bias

02/01/2007

Some employers’ policies are stricter than others, such as zero-tolerance policies against theft. But it’s more important how you apply your policy than what the policy says …

Hired a dud? Double-Check that person’s qualifications and sniff out exaggerations

02/01/2007

You’ve no doubt hired a candidate who looks great on paper but quickly shows deficiencies. The experience he or she listed on the résumé isn’t apparent when the person starts work. Before long, you realize your mistake and fire the new employee, who then sues for discrimination …

Listen for hints about illness … they may be FMLA notice

02/01/2007

The FMLA’s notice provision requires employees, to be eligible for FMLA leave, to let their employers know that they suffer from a serious health condition. Merely telling a supervisor “I’m sick” doesn’t cross to the threshold of a legitimate FMLA notice. But it’s important for supervisors to know that employees, on the other hand, don’t need to say something as explicit as “I need FMLA leave because I have X illness” …

390,000 reasons to avoid religious talk at work

02/01/2007

A new Arizona court ruling offers a good reminder that asking employees about their religious practices is irrelevant unless the employee is requesting a religious accommodation, such as time off to worship …