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  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
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Terminations

Informal vacation policy can cost you.

06/01/2001
Don’t leave any doubt about when workers are on vacation. Michael Pelletier’s employer fired him after 20 years on the job, claiming he failed to show up for three days …

Bankruptcy bias: Handle deadbeat applicants carefully

06/01/2001
Don’t refuse to hire applicants, and don’t fire current employees, solely because they’ve filed for bankruptcy. The U.S. Bankruptcy Code bars such discrimination. However, you can consider an applicant’s overall …

Vacation policy could jeopardize at-Will rights

06/01/2001

Q. Under our written company policy, an employee who fails to give 20 working days’ notice before resigning forfeits any earned vacation days. Is this policy lawful? —C.R., Wisconsin

Maternity leave repayment may be discriminatory

06/01/2001

Q. Our maternity leave policy offers paid leave for female employees who plan to return to work after the birth of the child. If the employee quits before returning to work, she’s required to reimburse the company for the paid leave. Is this lawful? —A.C., Maryland

Calling the police isn’t retaliation, in this case.

05/01/2001
Alfredo Aviles refused to leave his work site after being suspended. He had to be escorted out by police. When Aviles was later spotted in a car near the entrance, a …

Participants in illegal action don’t lose whistle-blower protection

04/01/2001
Franklin Gold didn’t get along with his supervisor at the landfill. When the supervisor hit Gold with a six-month probation for spilling leachate, Gold went to the big boss and told …

Do you have to offer COBRA? Check new IRS eligibility rule

04/01/2001
If your company offers health insurance and has about 20 workers, look into IRS rules published this year. The federal COBRA law requires companies with 20 or more workers …

Affirm At-Will Status

04/01/2001

Q. Should our employee handbook include a statement that gives us the right to terminate employees “at-will?” Our headquarters is in New Jersey with another office in Connecticut. —J.W., New Jersey

Employees don’t have to exhaust paid sick leave before taking FMLA

04/01/2001
Russell Strickland left work early because his diabetes acted up and affected his vision. Strickland claimed he told his manager and another employee why he was leaving. But the manager …

Snuff out gossip about firings; don’t forward damaging e-mail

04/01/2001
New York Life forbade employees to use their corporate American Express cards for personal items. But Phyllis Meloff says she got permission to use the card for her commuting costs as …