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Ask the Expert: Rules for Sending a Sick Employee Home

If an employee comes to work sick (as in the flu, fever, vomiting, etc.), do we have the right to send that employee home and make them use their Paid Time Off (PTO)? Or are we obligated to paying a sick employee if we decide to send them home?

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FMLA Leave 101: What Qualifies as a Serious Health Condition?

Managing leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has its challenges. Employers need to ensure that all HR staff and all managers who deal with employee leave requests are well-versed in the finer details of FMLA-related leave. They should understand who is eligible for leave, how much they’re eligible for, how you track […]

Can You Accept Volunteer Labor?

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is seemingly straightforward on the matter of pay: employers must pay employees for all hours worked. But who is an employee? And can employers accept free work?

What is a Grievance?

In the context of employee-employer relations, the term “grievance” usually relates to an employee’s allegation of a violation of workplace policy or contract terms.

Developing an Effective Training Strategy

Employee training is an essential function for many businesses and most large businesses have a formal training function in place. Those that don’t would be well advised to consider one; in fact, even smaller organizations can benefit. Where do you start?

When to Retroactively Designate FMLA Leave

What happens if a manager forgets to inform HR that an employee has absences that could be FMLA-qualifying? Can those absences still be counted against the employee's 12-week FMLA allotment for the year? What about when an employee has an emergency and must take leave immediately but was unable to request it? Can that count […]

Discretionary Versus Non-Discretionary Incentive Pay and Bonuses

As we all know, the FLSA requires us to pay overtime pay when it is due, and the base pay rate must include all payments for that time period in question—including incentive pay and bonuses paid during that time. But is that always the case? Actually, the answer is no. It’s true that most incentive […]

Employee Reimbursements for Uniforms: When Must a Company Provide?

According to most state laws, all employees must be reimbursed for reasonably incurred business expenses. This includes employee uniforms in some cases, which is an area some employers like to push as an employee’s responsibility. Read on for more information on when it is the responsibility of the employer to either provide the uniform or […]

Pros and Cons of Banning Social Media Use at Work

Does your organization allow employees to use social media while at work or while using company devices? As social media use becomes a daily habit for many of us, this is an issue that gets continual attention. Employers often have to weigh the pros and cons to banning activities at the workplace that are perceived […]