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Can an Employer Deny FMLA Leave After Mistakenly Telling Employee He Is Eligible?

by Daniel B. Gilmore If an employee is admittedly ineligible for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) but his employer mistakenly informs him that he is eligible before he takes leave, should the employer be prevented from denying his request? The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently addressed that question and […]

Responding to Employees’ Personal Social Networking

Imagine that one of your employees has her own webpage. One day, you find out that she’s posted a satirical picture poking fun at the company on her site. Then you learn that another employee sounded off about his supervisor on his blog after he received a negative performance evaluation. Can you do anything about […]

Mother Knows Best

Last week, I wrote about the decline of civility in our world. It seemed to me that if we all would reflect on what we were taught as children by our mothers, we’d treat one another a whole lot better. That got me to thinking about the impact my mother has had on my life […]

Dueling Complaints

LITIGATION VALUE:  $50,000 (in litigation costs on Darryl’s claims); damages continuing to pile up on Oscar’s claims. In tonight’s episode, “The Meeting,” we watched as Michael interfered with Jim’s attempt to obtain a promotion and falsified documents in Jim’s personnel file (clearly a problem, but not the most interesting problem in this episode). We also watched […]

If You’re Just Complying, You Get a “D”

By Clark PhinneyJust My E-pinion “Just meeting the regulatory requirements is like asking your kids to only get a ‘D’ in school,” says compliance expert Clark Phinney. It’s a simple observation he heard a few years ago that seems to say it all about attitudes toward compliance. “…like asking your kids to get a D.” […]

Detective’s Tips for Hotel Safety

Yesterday’s Advisor presented general safety recommendations for travel safety. Today, Detective Kevin Coffee provides his recommendations for selecting hotel rooms, and the Hotel and Lodging Association shares its hotel safety tips. Coffee operates a consulting service, Corporate Travel Safety LLC. He offers the following suggestions for picking out a safe hotel room: Avoid ground level […]

The Cost of Blowing Off a Baseless Bias Claim? $390,000

How should you respond to a discrimination complaint that appears to be completely unfounded? As GoDaddy, Inc. recently learned, even if the employee’s complaint appears to be baseless, you still must treat the complaint as serious and take all the same precautions you would with other bias complaints. If you don’t, you could be liable […]

EEOC’s Proposed ADA Regulations Now Available

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) — which would revise its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations to comply with the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) — is now available at www.HRhero.com/eeoc/eeoc_proposedregulations.pdf. The NPRM interprets the requirements of the ADAAA, which Congress passed in late 2008 to make it easier for […]

Feudal Mentality About Business Travel?

“Many companies operate with a feudal mentality,” says Jon D. Groussman. They do a great job of protecting their employees “inside the castle”—think how difficult it is to get past a security guard or receptionist. However, they neglect their employees’ safety when they “leave the fortress and cross over the moat.” It often takes a […]

Control the Office Thermostat to Save Money, Environment

Although some parts of the country still feel like summer, this week we officially begin the fall season. The Farmers’ Almanac recently released its winter forecast for 2009-2010 predicting that three-fourths of the United States will experience colder than normal temperatures on average. When temperatures plunge, what can human resources do to reduce energy bills […]