Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
By Susan Schoenfeld, JD In cases where an employee’s absences are not supported by his or her medical certification, an employer should consider recertification. An employer may request recertification of an employee’s serious health condition no more often than every 30 days unless one of the specific exceptions discussed below applies.
By Susan Schoenfeld, JD The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) recently announced a number of settlements in enforcement cases against federal government contractors demonstrating a continued emphasis on pursuing systemic hiring and pay discrimination claims against government contractors. Settlements cost ranged from $165,000 to $1.8 million and required the affected contractors to take […]
By Joshua A. Cline, JD Most employers know that failing to pay minimum wage or overtime can lead to serious consequences. When employees file lawsuits claiming unpaid overtime wages, they can bring in their coworkers, leading to lawsuits that are both costly to defend and costly to settle.
By Susan Schoenfeld, JD The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) can be tricky when an employee wants his or her health condition to remain private.
By Jennifer Carsen, JD, Legal Editor Can employers legally require employees to participate in a wellness program as a condition of being covered by the company’s health plan? A new court decision from the Western District of Wisconsin says yes.
By Michael P. Maslanka, JD The question of whether lunch breaks are compensable recently surfaced in a case from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas). The court’s decision is instructive and provides a timely reminder that the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is fraught with danger.
By Susan Schoenfeld, JD U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Branch Chief Helen Applewhaite recently promised that the DOL would be conducting stepped-up FMLA enforcement, including more on-site visits by federal investigators—she delivered.
By Kelly Smith-Haley, JD Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers may be required to offer reasonable accommodations to qualified employees. A recent opinion from the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals—which covers Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin—reminds employers that when it comes to providing a reasonable accommodation, it doesn’t have to result in highway […]
By Al Vreeland, JD The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is one of the more difficult laws for employer compliance. The regulations are long and convoluted and filled with traps for employers. And now, in a case from the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Alabama, Florida and Georgia), we learn that […]
By Susan Schoenfeld, JD BLR’s in-house FMLA expert, Susan Schoenfeld, JD, answers a subscriber question about employee leave requests for the adoption of a child.