When it comes to paying employees bonuses, some tricky questions come up. What are the tax consequences of the bonus? How does the payment of a bonus affect overtime calculations? What if the bonus was discretionary? This is a many-tentacled…
Employment Law
Every HR pro knows how important it is to avoid illegal interview questions. After all, no one wants to be known as that person who got their company involved in a legal mess. And while some illegal interview questions are…
A truck driver was illegally fired for reporting legitimate safety issues, the Department of Labor (DOL) has determined. OSHA has ordered the employer to pay back wages with interest as well as compensatory and punitive damages. The agency’s federal whistleblower investigation…
This FAQ breaks down FMLA intermittent leave rules, including eligibility, scheduling, hour calculations, and when employers can push back on abuse. Managing compliance issues under the Family and Medical Leave Act can be challenging, especially when dealing with FMLA intermittent…
OSHA inspectors have determined an animal food producer in Wisconsin exposed employees to combustible dust hazards and cited the employer for a total of two dozen health and safety violations. Here’s what prompted OSHA to propose more than $160,000 in…
A federal appeals court has ruled that an employer can violate the FMLA even without denying an employee’s request for FMLA leave. How is this possible, you ask? Let’s take a look at what happened in a recent case, which…
A federal court in New York decided that an employer illegally fired an employee for reporting safety concerns relating to the COVID-19 virus. The employer in this case was an ophthalmologist who fired an employee after she complained about a…
As an HR professional, you know that when employees request FMLA leave, those conversations need to be handled carefully. You have to stick to the facts about what the workers need and why. The problem is, some managers may not…
If you haven’t heard, the feds just released a new online tool that allows users to search its database and view trends on workplace injuries occurring in states covered by federal OSHA. At first glance, this might sound like a…
A federal appeals court upheld a jury verdict against an employer that denied an employee permission to move her start time back by one hour to accommodate her disability. A jury determined that the employer denied the employee a reasonable…
Bark If You’re Dirty, a pet store with locations in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona, has agreed to pay $340,000 and provide additional relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of…
OSHA has proposed more than $1 million in penalties against a Chicago countertop manufacturer that allegedly did not do enough to protect its workers from the danger presented by silica dust. The agency zeroed in on Florenza Marble & Granite…
California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has cited nine employers for silica health and safety violations in the greater Los Angeles area. Cal/OSHA has ramped up enforcement efforts to address the growing number of silicosis cases among stone…
Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a “key employee” exception applies in some cases. Understanding when to employ this rarely used exception can help you reinforce the idea that HR can be a strategic business partner and deserves…
The EEOC announced that an employer it targeted in a race bias suit will pay $1.25 million and take other significant steps to end the litigation. The defendant in the race bias suit was Asphalt Paving Systems, Inc., which is…
If your company requires employees to work mandatory overtime, it’s important to factor those extra hours into your calculations when determining employees’ FMLA entitlement. Failing to do so can be an expensive mistake, as an Eighth Circuit decision shows. That's…
