Archives

Exploring safety dilemmas: What to do when disabilities complicate evacuations

Planning for an emergency can be a complicated task. Emergencies, almost by definition, are tough to predict and, therefore, tough to prepare for. And even carefully planned emergency preparedness procedures can go awry if a disability prevents an employee from being able to evacuate the workplace in a dangerous situation. Recently, attorneys familiar with workplace […]

Can Physical Fitness Training Be Discriminatory?

While many (if not most) employers don’t need to worry about a physical fitness training program, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) does. And recently, it had to defend differing standards in training between men and women. This raises an interesting and more inclusive question: can training be discriminatory?

The DOL’s New Overtime Rule and Unintended Consequences

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently released a new rule that requires anyone who makes less than $47,476 annually to receive overtime pay. When a colleague suggested I consider this topic for my blog, I was reluctant. I’m not an expert on wage and hour issues. We have many people much more qualified than […]

The DOL’s New Overtime Rule and Unintended Consequences

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently released a new rule that requires anyone who makes less than $47,476 annually to receive overtime pay. When a colleague suggested I consider this topic for my blog, I was reluctant. I’m not an expert on wage and hour issues. We have many people much more qualified than […]

Our Intern is Working Out; Let’s Keep Her

In Yesterday’s Advisor we explored six tests for determining whether an intern can be unpaid. Today we’ll see how internships lead to regular employment, as well as look at an internship checklist.

A Case of Mistaken Disability Costs California Employer

By Katharine Essick, JD, Sedgwick LLP A recent California decision provides employers with a useful review of the complex landscape of disability discrimination and identifies a number of signposts for the unwary. The most important lesson from this case, however, is that when an employer evaluates an employee’s disability, the legal consequences of a factual mistake—even an […]

Ask the Expert: Can We Force Sick Employee to Take Unpaid Leave?

Our non-exempt employee has no sick or vacation days left and has accrued absentee attendance points close to termination. Because of this, the same employee is coming into work while sick. We don’t want the health of other employees to be at risk because of his/her presence. Can an employer force a sick employee to […]

Measuring Values, Skills, and Culture

In yesterday’s Advisor, guest columnist Tonya Lanthier made the case for data-driven hiring, and how to measure communication and behavior style. Today, Lanthier discusses how to measure values, skills, and culture—and how all these pieces of data fit together.