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Ebola

Is the Potential to Contract Ebola a Disability? EEOC Thinks So

A Massage Envy franchise violated federal law when it fired an employee for traveling to Ghana, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The company acted on fears that its massage therapist might contract Ebola and, in doing so, violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the commission has alleged in a lawsuit.

time

Proposed Comp Time Law and Overtime Regs: What’s the Connection?

You’ve probably heard by now that the U.S. House of Representatives last week passed a new law that allows private employers to offer employees comp time in lieu of overtime pay. That law has not yet been passed in the U.S. Senate but what if it is? How will it impact your compensation plan? Will […]

reduced schedule leave

FMLA Training Scenario: Reduced Schedule Leave Request Vexes Employer

Here we present a leave-related workplace scenario—inspired by an actual court case—that’s intended to help HR professionals better understand an employer’s responsibilities under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).  This scenario involves an employee who can no longer work overtime due to a medical condition—but the employer says that working overtime is an essential […]

Leave

California Court Confirms Employers Not Required to Provide Employees Indefinite Leaves of Absence

In a recent case, an employee suffered a stroke at work. Even after a 14-month leave of absence, her doctors could not state with certainty when she would be able to return to work. In that situation, it was clear her employer did not discriminate against her based on her disability when it terminated her […]

Ask the Expert: Rules for Sending a Sick Employee Home

If an employee comes to work sick (as in the flu, fever, vomiting, etc.), do we have the right to send that employee home and make them use their Paid Time Off (PTO)? Or are we obligated to paying a sick employee if we decide to send them home?

bully

3 Tips to Eradicate Workplace Bullies in Your Company

I have been asked many questions about bullying throughout my career, but there is one question I can never seem to escape: What is the difference between workplace bullying and harassment?