Issue: When must employees provide proof of their need for FMLA leave? Benefit: You can require employees to provide proof when they request the leave. Action: Don't be...
Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of job-protected, unpaid leave. When do those 12 weeks officially begin? A new...
With health insurance costs soaring, employers may be tempted to make hiring/firing decisions based on whether a person is a drain on the organization's health costs....
One of the first indicators of an improving job market is a rise in temporary-help jobs. Why? Many organizations, still cautious about taking on full-time employees,...
Issue: The wording used in your employment policies. Risk: Overly vague language makes it difficult for employees to comply and makes you more vulnerable ...
Employers generally are not liable for employees' injuries sustained during routine travel to and from their regular place of work. This so-called "going-and-coming...
When employees request job accommodations for their disabilities, you must interact with them to find reasonable modifications. But it's important to know how far your...
If your workplace has a "creative" side to it, listen up: A court has ruled for the first time that you can defend a sexual harassment claim by arguing a "creative ...
If you're involved in termination decisions, don't always take supervisors' comments at face value. Consider doing your own investigation before taking action. Your goal...
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires workers to give their employers notice of their need for leave. But you have the right to deny leave when the provided...
Issue: Employees handling your organization's purse strings could be pulling them in the wrong way. Risk: Lax controls leave your organization wide open to invoice...
If your employee handbook or job-offer letters say new hires will face a 60- or 90-day probation period, you should consider dropping that policy or, at the very least,...
Issue: Should you set a probation period for new employees? Risk: It can jeopardize your employment-at-will rights by implying that once the period ends, employees...
The Labor Department issued final rules last month requiring federal contractors to post notices that inform employees of certain union rights under the Supreme Court's...
As a manager, you need to let employees express their religious beliefs while, at the same time, making sure those expressions don’t infringe on the rights of...
Issue: Can you tell an employee to take a bath? Risk: You risk a discrimination claim because, unlike other grooming-policy issues, odor lies in the eye (or nose) of the...
Typically, employees can file Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) lawsuits no later than two years after the alleged violation. But if a worker can prove that your...
Thorough background checks can help you defeat any negligent hiring claim. But what if applicants' background checks come up clean, yet they begin displaying...
The Supreme Court last month handed employers more power to set and enforce policies that deny rehiring to employees fired for misconduct. The court said such...
