Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
As a result of the attention surrounding the ongoing Ebola outbreak, many employers are wondering how to handle situations involving communicable disease. Not much medical testing of employees is allowed. If however, a pandemic is widespread and is a direct threat, public health authorities say employers can monitor closely for symptoms and illness. Employers can […]
Are you treating your pregnant employees properly? Do you have to offer them an accommodation? There’s been a flurry of action around treatment of pregnant employees under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, some of which has been confusing. The PDA says you have to treat pregnant employees in the same manner you treat other employees who […]
An employer group criticized the latest legal challenge to an employee wellness program filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The commission alleges that Honeywell International, Inc.’s biometric testing incentive for employees and their spouses violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. “This is an outrageous development, and one that […]
About one in four American adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year. Employers need to be aware of their obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and comparable state laws regarding their employees’ mental health.
The rise of social media has opened employers up to a wide range of new employment law risks. Everything from privacy issues to leave and disability concerns can come up when employees use social media. It only seems fitting to engage in a discussion about social media, using social media. On Wednesday, Sept. 24 at […]
A federal appeals court has vacated and agreed to rehear a recent opinion in which it held that permission to work from home can be a reasonable accommodation required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. In the now-vacated ruling, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals departed from its precedent that “attendance” is almost always […]
The first direct federal challenge to an employee wellness program’s legality under the Americans with Disabilities Act was filed Aug. 20 by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The employer’s program did not qualify as “voluntary” under the ADA because the one employee who refused to participate was forced to bear the entire cost of […]
An employee who took “unexcused” leave from work when a dog bite turned into a serious health condition was fired after failing to submit medical certification forms in a timely manner. The deadline complied with the Family and Medical Leave Act; however, a federal district court held that a jury should decide whether the employer […]
By Peter A. Susser Federal contractors’ administration of family leave will face unprecedented scrutiny as a result of a new executive order from President Obama. The order requires the disclosure of labor law violations committed by would-be contractors, and a determination of whether that candidate is satisfactorily responsible and ethical. The order is […]
Pregnant employees are entitled to workplace accommodations, according to new guidance issued July 14 by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Because the Pregnancy Discrimination Act requires that employers treat pregnant employees the same as other workers “not so affected but similar in their ability or inability to work” — and because the Americans with […]