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Texas

Feds trim $106K in back pay from Midland landscaper

12/03/2012
Seventy current and former landscaping employees will rake in $106,818 following a U.S. Depart­­ment of Labor investigation of their Midland employer’s wage-and-hour practices.

Conduct mandatory training to prevent supervisor harassment

12/03/2012
The U.S. Supreme Court and federal agencies look askance at employers that don’t train employees and supervisors how to prevent, detect and report harassment. As a practical matter, such training is essentially required.

Employee complains to TCHR? OK to end internal grievance

12/03/2012
Many employers have in­­ternal grievance procedures for em­­ployees who feel they have been discriminated against. But what if, while the complaint is pending, the employee files a complaint with the Texas Com­­mis­­sion on Human Rights?

No obligation to create indefinite light-duty job

12/03/2012
You don’t have to create permanent light-duty work for injured workers, as the following case shows.

Court: Job changes must cause real harm to form basis for employee’s lawsuit

12/03/2012
Judges don’t want to waste their time on frivolous litigation; they’ll usually act fast to dismiss sham lawsuits. That’s especially true when it is obvious the employee is complaining about what, at most, constitutes a slight inconvenience, like a shift change.

Keep the snark to yourself! If you suspect malingering, let system play out

12/03/2012
Sometimes, employees fake or exaggerate injuries in the hopes of getting paid time off. If you suspect that’s going on, don’t get angry and put vindictive roadblocks in the employee’s way. Instead, treat him the same way you treat everyone else.

Overstaffed? Take logical approach to job cuts

12/03/2012

It’s an awkward workplace problem: Despite short-staffing, the work is still getting done. It’s a sure sign a function might have too many employees. You can consider layoffs to cut costs and increase efficiency. But do it the smart way.

Hiring: List experience requirements, too

12/03/2012
When posting job openings, don’t focus solely on educational re­­quirements. Instead, be sure to clarify that job experience is also required—and provide specific examples.

Can we prohibit moonlighting?

11/13/2012

Q. Some of our full-time employees have told us that they are looking for part-time jobs to make extra income. We’re worried about how this will affect their performance at our company. Can we prohibit them from working for other employers after-hours?

Do holidays require extra pay?

11/13/2012
Q. We need some of our employees to work during the holidays. Are we required to pay them extra for those days?