Unexpected absences can cause scheduling headaches. However, since FMLA leave is an entitlement, there isn’t much employers can do—at least when the...
Q. An employee who is off on an approved FMLA leave just submitted her resignation, providing two weeks’ notice. Our employee handbook asks employees to provide...
Q. Do we have to let an employee leave the United States to visit his home country while on family medical leave? Are there restrictions? — Terry, New Jersey
Train all supervisors about the FMLA. Instruct them to refer any perceived problems to HR. Direct supervisors should not, for example, conduct their own...
What should you do if you learn one of your employees brandished a gun and threatened suicide, but a doctor released him back to work? Shouldn’t you be concerned...
While you may not want to share the information with your employees as you prepare for a reduction in force, be sure to document the reasons. That’s especially...
Efforts to make life so miserable for an employee that she quits can come back to haunt you. It could be seen as retaliation—even if the employee never quits.
Safeway is making its support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees and shoppers visible with some perks for workers and the communities where its grocery...
Employees who take FMLA leave are generally entitled to come back to their old jobs when they return. If you make any changes to their jobs, be sure you can document...
Warn supervisors that they shouldn’t comment on the time that employees take off for medical treatments. If the underlying medical condition is a disability...
Get ready for an experienced cadre of workers who just won’t leave. As long as they want to stay at your company, you might as well maximize their potential.
It’s OK to occasionally deviate from the disciplinary process outlined in your employee handbook—if you leave yourself some wiggle room by explaining that...
Many bosses succumb to the temptation to build a disciplinary case against the employee by citing a long list of minor rule violations. But that can be dangerous,...
The EEOC has lost its bid for a preliminary injunction that would have prevented a major employer from withholding funds from the Health Savings Accounts of employees...
Here’s a warning for employers thinking about turning employees into independent contractors to avoid paying benefits and payroll taxes: If some of the employees...
While they differ from traditional cigarettes in some fundamental ways, many employers are faced with a dilemma in terms of how to treat e-cigarettes in policy and in...
Q. Should a small business employee handbook include a safe-harbor clause under the benefits section for their 401k plan? In the past, the benefits information in the...
