Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
We have an employee who told us she had cancer and went on leave. Her co-workers stepped up to help get all her work done. Then we found out that it was a fraud—she didn’t have cancer at all. Can we fire the lying employee, or might there be an Americans with Disabilities Act issue? […]
Our healthcare premiums have gone through the roof (whose haven’t?), and management is putting pressure on me to get the costs down. They think we can have an impact by establishing health criteria to screen out applicants who will be likely to have high health bills, e.g., smokers, those who are overweight and/or have high […]
The California Supreme Court has issued two important new decisions—both with good news for employers.
I’m up against an ethical brick wall here. I recently had an excellent candidate for one of our sales positions who was visibly pregnant. The hiring manager gave her a brief interview, then told me to reject her. He said, “Don’t send me any more pregnant women; they just get started and then they’re out […]
One of our current employees has referred a friend for employment under our employee referral program, which rewards employees who refer applicants if we end up hiring them. The employee mentioned that the friend uses marijuana for medical purposes. I don’t really want to consider this person because we are a drug-free workplace, but I’m […]
I make a lot of employment decisions in the average day, and I’m just not sure of all the laws that cover each type of action. My question is, if I’m acting in good faith, in what circumstances could I be held personally liable for my actions? Thanks for your help.— Rose Ann, HR Specialist […]
In 2003, the California Legislature amended the California Fair Employment and Housing Act to state that employers are potentially liable when third party nonemployees—such as customers or clients—sexually harass their employees. Prior to the amendment, the language of the FEHA seemed to impose liability on an employer only when the harassment was committed by the […]
Could you help me with a definition of race and color as it relates to discrimination? We’re trying to sort out our diversity and discrimination policies. We’re not clear on the distinction between race and color discrimination, and we’re not clear if the laws apply just to the stated categories, like black, white, Hispanic, etc., […]
We are a cold storage facility and recently received a doctor note for one of our employees indicating that the employee must not work in the freezer area. Our facility is divided into different temperature areas but is always at a cold temperature. What do I do moving forward with this employee? Her job requires […]