Archive for January, 2010

Attendance Can Be an ‘Essential Function,’ Depending on Job

January 29, 2010 at 10:57 am by: Pennsylvania Employment Law Letter

by Emily Hannah Bensinger
The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that an employer can lawfully base a termination decision on excessive absenteeism even when the absences are due to a disability covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For the decision to withstand an ADA claim, regular attendance must be an “essential [...]

IT Exec’s FMLA Leave Not a ‘Fire’wall

January 22, 2010 at 10:53 am by: Illinois Employment Law Letter

Employers are often hesitant about taking adverse action against employees who are on Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, even when there is good reason to do so. But employees aren’t entitled to any right, benefit, or position of employment that they wouldn’t have been entitled to if they hadn’t taken FMLA leave. A [...]

The Wild, the Innocent, and the Super Bowl Shuffle

January 22, 2010 at 10:45 am by: Kansas Employment Law Letter

by Boyd A. Byers
Super Bowl Sunday is February 7. About 140 million Americans will watch the game on TV, and 20 million will attend a Super Bowl party. While doing so, we’ll eat 20 million pounds of potato and tortilla chips. Let’s look at some other Super Bowl-related numbers for you to ponder in your [...]

Reminder about OSHA Posting Requirement

January 22, 2010 at 10:40 am by: Wisconsin Employment Law Letter

It’s time to post your Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Form 300A, the summary of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred last year. Unless you have 10 or fewer employees or fall within one of the industries normally excused from the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s (OSH Act) recordkeeping and posting requirements, you’re required [...]

Custodian Cleans Up After Employer’s Improper Consideration of FMLA Leave

January 15, 2010 at 11:50 am by: Kentucky Employment Law Letter

Although employment decisions are often based on one specific incident or reason, such as poor work performance, many decisions stem from several causes. If an employee challenges a termination, a demotion, or another adverse action that was taken for two or more reasons, only one of which is illegal, will the employer be liable? The [...]

Tenth Circuit Reaffirms Importance of Handbook Disclaimers

January 15, 2010 at 11:26 am by: Wyoming Employment Law Letter

Employee handbooks present a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they serve a useful purpose in advising employees of key policies and procedures so they know what is expected of them. On the other hand, if they’re improperly drafted, they can be construed as binding contracts that, if not followed to the letter by the [...]

What to Do When Government Officials Unexpectedly Show Up

January 8, 2010 at 1:40 pm by: Maryland Employment Law Letter

by James P. Gillece, Jr.
As an employer, you may have already experienced the discomfort of having the “Men in Black” — i.e., agents or investigators from a government agency — appear on your doorstep. With increased enforcement efforts by various federal and state agencies, the likelihood that you’ll be visited by regulators isn’t an “if” [...]

Pending Federal Legislation Would Create New Leave Mandates for Employers

January 8, 2010 at 9:00 am by: Utah Employment Law Letter

The Supporting Military Families Act of 2009 was introduced in both houses of Congress in late July 2009. A mere three months later — on October 28 — it was signed into law as part of the defense funding bill for 2010. The legislation expands the circumstances in which employees may take both qualifying exigency [...]

Checklist for Drafting Executives’ Contracts

January 7, 2010 at 11:01 am by: New York Employment Law Letter

by Peter M. Panken
Drafting executive employment contracts requires attention to myriad details. The higher up the executive, the more likely there will be detailed negotiation of the terms. And when negotiating with an incoming CEO, CIO, or CFO, an HR executive is faced with tough negotiations with a future boss.
Keep up with the latest changes [...]