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Employee Fired for Excessive Absences After Making Need for FMLA Leave Known

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) prohibits an employer from interfering with an employee’s right to take medical leave. When pursuing such a claim, an employee need not allege the employer intended to deny the benefit, just that it was withheld. The employer’s motives are irrelevant when determining whether interference occurred. Of course, the […]

Gay Witch Hunt

LITIGATION VALUE: $0.00 to $450,000+ (depending on which state you are in) Overall, I’d say that Oscar has a good (read “expensive”) claim for sexual orientation discrimination and retaliation. Not only does Michael admittedly refer to employees as “faggy” when he means “lame,” but he specifically refers to Oscar, a gay employee, as “faggy.” Then, […]

What to Include in Your Employee Engagement Checklist

Kevin Sheridan recently spoke as the Day 1 opening keynote for the 2018 HR Daily Advisor Annual Conference. In the keynote session, Sheridan focused on how to attract talented employees to the workplace, empower them, and sustain an environment in which they are more likely to stay.  Here, Sheridan provides a brief recap of the […]

Workers’ Comp Basics

Workers’ compensation laws have come about as a way to establish a means of compensation for injured employees while simultaneously reducing the amount of litigation against employers when employees are injured on the job. The workers’ compensation laws are administered on the state level, and the federal government has its own separate program. Workers’ compensation […]

Have ‘Stranger’ Leaves Been Approved? FMLA Lessons from Netflix

While binge-watching everyone’s nostalgic guilty pleasure, Netflix’s Stranger Things, I could not help but empathize with single mother Joyce Byers (played by actress Winona Ryder). Her prepubescent son, Will (Noah Schnapp), was abducted by a monster (the Demogorgon) and sent to a parallel universe (the Upside Down) populated by dog-like monsters. During Will’s disappearance, apparent […]

Tax Bill Affects Numerous Fringe Benefits

The massive tax overhaul recently enacted by Congress includes provisions that affect a variety of fringe benefits, along with other aspects of employee benefits and compensation.

resilience

How to Create a Workplace that Promotes Mental Health

Nearly one in five people in the United States lives with a mental illness, but there is still a strong stigma around discussing mental health at work. The month of May being dedicated as Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States helps, but we still have a long way to go in combating the […]

6 Tips to Improve Workplace Communication

To better communicate with bosses, colleagues and customers, match your message to your audience, and don’t forget the nonverbal skills, says a new DVD plus book program. A recent Daily Advisor listed the ability to communicate effectively as one of the secrets to success in any organization. We discussed it in terms of reaching senior […]

Personal phones causing a problem at work? Damage control is possible

Smartphones. Certainly, they can be tremendous tools, but they also can be major distractions in the workplace. A recent survey from CareerBuilder placed cellphones at the top of a list of productivity killers at work, more of a problem than office gossip, social media, smoke breaks, and other diversions.  Phones are now so much more […]