Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
In the largest disability discrimination settlement in U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission history, Verizon Communications has agreed to pay $20 million to hundreds of employees. The settlement resolves allegations that the company violated the Americans With Disabilities Act by implementing an unlawfully rigid attendance policy. Verizon denied reasonable accommodations to employees and disciplined and/or fired […]
Before terminating or taking any other adverse action against an employee, employers must consider not only whether the employee is in a protected category, but also whether the employee’s friends or family are, too. Lawsuits alleging discrimination or retaliation by association appear to be on the rise, an attorney warned attendees at the Society for Human Resource […]
Pop quiz. Do you think it’s safe to discipline or terminate an employee for being absent or tardy too often? For driving a truck even though he knew he was likely to have an epileptic seizure soon? For throwing her performance improvement plan across the room and hurling profanities at the supervisor who gave it […]
Some requests for Family and Medical Leave Act leave just sound suspicious. For example, consider the case of an employee who requested leave during the exact same time of year he had taken off four years earlier. His supervisor ordered surveillance, and terminated him when it turned up what appeared to be evidence of fraud. The employee in […]
How’s this for an illustration of how quickly developments can pop up that may require you to revise your employee handbook? Speaking at the Society for Human Resource Management’s annual conference today, Christine V. Walters discussed a new ruling only five days old, in which a federal appeals court held that an overly broad confidentiality policy […]
If attendance at a conference session is any indication, HR professionals remain concerned about how to navigate the intersection of the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Now that the Americans With Disabilities Amendments Act has altered the definition of “disability,” it is more common than ever for the laws […]
Trying to comply with the myriad of HR-related laws is tricky enough, but recent developments have opened the door to new legal hazards, says attorney Kevin Troutman. And there’s no grace period – be in compliance now or face time-consuming and costly investigations and litigation.
Your wellness program is going well, with happier and healthier employees. But then, an employee sues the company alleging that the wellness program violates his rights. So your employees are healthier, but your company’s pocketbook is not in the best of condition, as it puts out money for legal fees. Do not let this happen […]
To alleviate confusion among employers, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said it plans to clarify and update its guidance on leave as a workplace accommodation. In a June 8 meeting, commissioners offered their insight and took suggestions from stakeholders. “I’ve been told that many employers have difficulty with leave as an accommodation,” said Stuart […]
In yesterday’s CED, we covered the first 4 deadly sins of your managers. Today: moving on to Envy, Greed, and Sloth!