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Pennsylvania Employer Violates FMLA After Terminating Employee

By Gregory J. Wartman, Saul Ewing LLP A Pennsylvania federal court recently ruled in favor of an employee who was terminated after taking leave to care for her sick parents. The court ruled that an employee does not have to use magic language in requesting Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave and rejected the […]

Background Checks: Complying With The New Federal Rules

  Congress recently changed the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require employers who obtain background reports on applicants and employees to follow detailed new authorization and disclosure rules. In an earlier article we described how these rules apply to credit reports. In this follow-up story, we’ll explain what the new law means for employers who […]

Did the Recession Make Your Job Descriptions “Lawyer Bait”?

By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady During the recent recession, many employees saw their jobs change and grow. There may be fewer bodies, but the work still has to get done. In a lot of cases this, means that job descriptions are out of date and inaccurate. They may be fodder for significant lawsuits […]

8 Secrets to Hiring Seasonal Workers

For companies in many industries—whether large or small, bricks or clicks—it’s an annual ritual that must succeed: ensuring the quality and quantity of extra hires during the prime holiday sales season.

A New Genre of Discrimination? Smokers Need Not Apply

By Susan Hartmus Hiser Q: Our company is considering implementing a policy that would make individuals who smoke ineligible for employment. In doing so, we would save a substantial amount of money on our insurance premiums. Can we do this? If so, how do we monitor employees who claim they have quit smoking? A: Many […]

DOMA Invalidation Complicates Surviving-spouse Beneficiary Matters

Now that the federal Defense of Marriage Act has been invalidated, some same-gender surviving spouses are asking retirement plan sponsors to take a second look at their previously denied eligibility for a death benefit. A favorable court ruling in a newly filed case could further complicate beneficiary matters for plan sponsors. The case was recently […]

Which Records Can You Withhold From Employees?

Yesterday, we took a look at some of the common questions relating to employee requests for records. Today, a few more — plus an introduction to our brand-new Complete Guide to HR Recordkeeping in California. Q. Can I hold back any records from employees? A. Yes. You aren’t required to disclose the following: records relating […]

Cybersecurity Training Part II: Awareness of Types of Threats

In the previous post, we discussed the significance of cybersecurity threats in the modern workplace and the importance of putting together a sound cybersecurity policy that includes training for employees. In that post, we looked at the first step in this process: educating employees on the importance of cybersecurity and the scale of the threat. […]