From the Editor
New resource for U.S. employers with Canadian operations
McCarthy Tetrault LLP, Canada's leading employment law firm, and M. Lee Smith Publishers LLP are now offering Northern Exposure, a free monthly e-zine to highlight important developments in Canadian labor and employment law. It will be of special interest to companies with operations in Canada.
In addition to news articles, each e-zine will include a practical Employer's Tip and a Q&A to help you better understand Canadian employment law.
We hope you find this new information source useful, and we look forward to hearing your comments.
Wendi Watts
Web Editor
HR Hero Line
Webeditor@hrhero.com
Feature
Just say no to comp time
Excerpted from Tennessee Employment Law Letter and written by attorneys at the law firm of Miller and Martin
by Kara Shea
I hear it all the time: Our employees want comp time; our employees like comp time. Why can't we give them comp time? And time and time again, I have to deliver the unpleasant news: In most cases, even if your employees love comp time like they love ice cream sundaes and casual Fridays, the practice is illegal under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Simply put, private employers aren't permitted to offer nonexempt employees compensatory time (comp time) off instead of paying overtime. You may rearrange an employee's hours within the same workweek to avoid overtime, but other than that, as much as I'd like to help you out, there's simply no wiggle room on this one.
This Week on HRhero.com
Tip of the Week
What to do when workers break equipment
Excerpted from West Virginia Employment Law Letter and written by attorneys at the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC
What do you do if you have employees who happen to lose or destroy company property over and over again? Can you recoup the costs by docking their pay? How about requiring them to make out-of-pocket payments to cover replacement costs? Wage and hour law limits what you can and can't do in this regard.
Did You Know...
A supervisor who avoids confronting a problem employee can cripple productivity and weaken management credibility. Don't allow workplace flare-ups and bad behavior to hold your supervisors hostage!
Register them for the back-by-popular demand HR Hero audio conference, Supervisor Straight Talk: How to Handle Difficult Conversations. In just 60 minutes, best-selling author and celebrated speaker Carol Hacker will help your team leaders address frustrating situations with respect, candor, and in ways that don't put your organization at legal risk.
Read on for more information...
Employers Forum
Court summons and attendance policy
What is the law regarding an employee attending court due to a subpoena or summons for something like divorce, child custody, public intoxication, etc.? If they are summoned/subpoenaed can the time off be counted against their attendance record? I know it can not for jury duty, but what about these other situations?
HRAnnie, IN
Visit Employers Forum to join other discussions or post a question of your own.
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HRhero.com Subscribers Area Resources
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HR Tip of the Week
Managing workers with psychiatric disabilities, part 2
Excerpted from Indiana Employment Law Letter and written by attorneys at the law firm of Baker & Daniels
by Susan W. Kline
Managing employees who have psychiatric disabilities, or even psychiatric conditions that don't rise to the level of disabilities, can be a tremendous challenge for supervisors. Because mental disorders affect an estimated 26 percent of adult Americans and are the leading cause of disability for people ages 15 to 44 in the United States, supervisors are facing that challenge more frequently.
Last week, we began this series by exploring issues that may arise when an employee has a psychiatric condition and suggesting some best practices in dealing with the situation. This month, we continue by discussing documentation of psychiatric disabilities, possible accommodations for psychiatric impairments, whether and how work rules apply to employees with psychiatric disabilities, and what to do when an employee with a psychiatric disability poses a safety threat.
Read on (Subscribers only)
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