Tips for FMLA Certifications in California
As an employer, you’re allowed to require an employee to provide certification of the need for requested medical leave. But the details of obtaining these certifications can get tricky.
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Finding work-life balance in a workforce with diverse needs
by Tammy Binford Work-life balance gets a lot of buzz in the workplace. Everyone is concerned about being productive at work while saving time for other important parts of life. Just the term work-life balance can invoke an image of employees teetering on a tightrope, with career, family, friends, hobbies, and other interests pulling from […]
Reassignment as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA
by Burton J. Fishman Of the many contentious accommodation issues under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), perhaps the most hotly debated is whether reassignment to a vacant position is a reasonable accommodation. Although the ADA lists “reassignment” as a possible accommodation and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) supports that position, many courts have […]
Say what? Asking employees to take language classes
by Brad Cave Q: Will I be in violation of federal discrimination laws if I provide an “English as a second language” (ESL) employee English language training at the company’s expense? A Any possible discrimination charge under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 would be based on national origin. The Equal Employment […]
Faithfully expecting: religious accommodations and employer-mandated vaccination policies
An “informal discussion letter” from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) indicates that employers should carefully weigh religious objections by pregnant employees, specifically in the context of employer-mandated vaccination policies. Background In February 2012, a healthcare provider wrote the EEOC requesting a formal interpretation of the application of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act […]
Breaching duties and cashing checks: An employee’s entitlement to bonuses after termination
by Marisa Victor and Christopher Copeland Can a Canadian employee who is fired for cause sue for outstanding bonuses? What about if those bonuses relate to the period of the employee’s wrongdoing? This was the issue in Mady Development Corp. v. Rossetto, when a terminated executive sought to claim his bonuses for a period when […]
Who let the dogs out?
by J. David Kutch A Palm Beach State College (PBSC) student received permission from the school to use a service dog trained to help her deal with the effects of her psychiatric disorders. However, she failed her classes and was escorted off the campus at times, apparently because two offices at the school had different […]
How NOT to Deal with Sexual Harassment Complaints
A recent EEOC lawsuit—just settled for $2.3 million—gives a picture perfect example of how NOT to handle sexual harassment complaints. The harassment was compounded by retaliation and ratcheted up with evidence tampering. In the suit, Fry Electronics worker America Rios complained to her boss, Ka Lam, that her manager was sexting her and inviting her […]
More Tips for Evaluating Training Sessions
Evaluation of classroom training also involves evaluating your own performance as a trainer and assessing the effectiveness of your training methods and presentation. Here’s how to get training evaluations during and after your training sessions: Use a survey. One of the most common ways to do this is to ask trainees for feedback, using some […]
Do You Embed Evaluation into Training Sessions?
Evaluations—both of employee learning and of the effectiveness of the training—are an important part of the learning process. So important, in fact, that they can’t be left to the very end. Unfortunately, many people think of evaluation as something that comes only at the end of training—but evaluation should really be built into the session […]