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Terminations

Beware new court trend: Employees use expert to shift blame for failure

01/01/2003
If an employee drags you into court, don’t be surprised if the worker totes along his own expert witness to put your company in a bad light. More employees are …

Employees can refuse to work due to safety fears, even at nonunion site

01/01/2003
Three apartment maintenance workers refused to scrape and paint a water-damaged ceiling after they saw a TV report on airborne-asbestos health risks. When they voiced a concern, their supervisor said there …

Don’t stray from layoff procedures

01/01/2003
A 65-year-old employee was laid off as part of a reduction in force. She claimed her supervisor had made age-related comments, and the company failed to follow its published RIF criteria …

Expect more ethical, financial scrutiny from job candidates

01/01/2003
Expect to open your books and answer more questions about your financial practices. Reason: Sixty-nine percent of executive recruits say they’ll look more closely at the financial statements of potential employers, …

Your benefits liability may not end with company sale

12/01/2002
While Denise Lessard was on disability leave, the company she worked for was sold. All employees were automatically employed by the acquiring firm as long as they were “actively employed” on …

Firing employees on FMLA leave: Occasionally legal, usually unwise

12/01/2002
While he was taking leave for depression under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Jerry Ogborn got the ax. Reason: During the absence, his employer discovered that Ogborn, a union …

Job investigation won’t cause ‘mental distress.’

12/01/2002
A New York bank investigated a worker over forged signatures on her expense reports. It eventually fired her and escorted her from the premises. She sued the bank, saying the …

Don’t fight reservist reinstatement: You’ll lose

12/01/2002
Now is not the time for your company to appear unpatriotic, in the public’s eye or before a judge. As a recent ruling shows, courts are bending over backward to give …

Don’t be bullied to create permanent light-duty job

11/01/2002
After injuring her shoulder, assembly-line worker Tamara Watson wasn’t able to do many tasks required for her job. To aid her recovery, the company temporarily limited her to lighter duties that …

Care for healthy child wins FMLA coverage

11/01/2002
The walls of employee FMLA protection have grown higher with a new court ruling that says a worker must be given leave to look after his healthy children while his wife …