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Texas

Hear me now? OSHA slams firm for noise hazards–again

04/30/2012
Apparently, Piping Technology & Products (PTP) is a noisy place—so noisy that management failed to hear OSHA the first time it cited the company a year ago. Now it must pay OSHA fines totaling $118,000 after inspectors discovered conditions leading to one willful and nine serious health and safety violations.

Always enforce ‘no unauthorized OT’ policy

04/30/2012
The first step to controlling overtime costs is to establish a sound policy forbidding unauthorized extra work for hourly employees. But a “no unauthorized overtime” policy is just the beginning. You must also enforce the policy for all nonexempt employees, and make sure managers understand why it is important.

Employee concedes shortcomings? Document it!

04/09/2012

Employees who lose their jobs have an incentive to sue—and they’ll often look for evidence of discrimination to form the basis of their lawsuits. But to win in court, employees have to show they were meeting their employer’s legitimate expectations. That’s hard to do if the employer can show the employee admitted her shortcomings.

Detailed disciplinary records show you’re not biased

04/02/2012
Employers that keep detailed disciplinary records showing exactly why an employee was disciplined are much more likely to win lawsuits. That makes it harder for an employee to argue he was singled out for unfair, discriminatory punishment.

AC contractor chills and settles sexual harassment claim

03/30/2012
Hobson Air Con­­di­­tion­­ing, a Weatherford contractor, has agreed to pay $37,500 to settle charges that a manager created a sexually hostile work environment.

11 guidelines for preventing and addressing workplace violence

03/30/2012

Nearly 2 million U.S. workers are victims of workplace violence each year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Don’t let your organization add to those sobering statistics. To reduce the chance of workplace violence—or your liability if it does happen—follow these 11 guidelines:

Is it really whistle-blowing? Not without good faith

03/30/2012

Some employees think that throwing around a few unfounded allegations makes them whistle-blowers. They assume that by reporting what they think is illegal activity, they gain job protection. That’s not always true. If the alleged misconduct isn’t reported in good faith, there’s no protection.

Employer rolls workers’ comp dice–and wins!

03/30/2012
A Texas employer has “won” a case that shows why going without ­workers’ compensation insurance can be expensive even in the best of circumstances. It persuaded a Texas appeals court that an accident—not negligence—caused a nurse’s injury, but only after spending thousands of dollars to defend itself.

Don’t let insubordinate employee hide behind dubious ‘That’s illegal!’ claim

03/30/2012
Employers can’t fire employees for refusing to engage in criminal acts. But that doesn’t mean em­­ployees can proclaim “That’s illegal!” and expect to get away with what is really insubordination.

Beware offer letters that seem to imply that they are employment contracts

03/30/2012
If you want to retain the ability to fire at will, make sure any memos, letters or emails detailing a job offer don’t create an employment contract. That means never promising that termination will be for cause or for any list of reasons.