Legal Issues

Keep It Legal: December ’17

November 10, 2017

Four days after Karen’s 65th birthday, she got an unwelcome present from her employer: A pink slip.

EEOC sues Estée Lauder over unequal leave benefits

November 8, 2017
Cosmetic giant Estée Lauder faces charges its parental leave benefits discriminate against men.

Must we give preference to a disabled job candidate?

September 12, 2017
Q. If we have several qualified job candidates, are we required to select one with a disability over the others who are not?

Keep it Legal: October ’17

September 12, 2017
Walmart is offering up an apology and trying to find out which of its stores put up a sign reading “Own the school year like a hero” over a gun case.

Another nail in the coffin of the old ‘new’ overtime regulations

September 7, 2017
A federal judge in Texas last month formally struck down the Obama-era regs that would have more than doubled the white-collar overtime threshold to $47,476 per year.

What steps can we take to keep pay from being discussed?

August 28, 2017
Q: “Is it legal for a small, privately-held business to make it company policy that staff are not to discuss their contracts, pay or benefits with each other? If the policy is violated, is it legal to make it grounds for termination after three write-ups?” – Lisa, Virginia

Ensure training programs are equal opportunity

August 13, 2017
Make training available to everyone who may benefit. Be sure there’s no hidden bias behind choosing who gets to take part. If members of a protected class routinely miss out, expect a lawsuit.

Can new mom demand part-time schedule?

July 14, 2017
Q. A full-time employee took FMLA leave to give birth. When she returned, she demanded a part-time schedule. Must we comply?

Do bilingual skills warrant extra pay?

July 14, 2017
Q. We have employees in our call center who are fluent in Spanish. They were not hired for their Spanish-language skills, but we expect them to take calls from Spanish-speaking customers. Now some of those bilingual employees are saying we owe them extra pay for their language skills. Should we pay them more?

Keep It Legal: August ’17

July 14, 2017
Worker taking prescribed medication? Don’t interfere.