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Kentucky

Was Attendance an Essential Job Function for AT&T Customer Service Rep?

An AT&T customer service representative (CSR) recently filed a lawsuit against her employer citing disability discrimination, but the employer, citing attendance as an essential job function of her position, claimed she was terminated for her frequent absences. Was the employee discriminated against? The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals—which covers Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee—has the answer.

Maintaining, or Refining, Company Culture During and After the Pandemic

A company’s “culture” is a complex concept. Company culture is undeniably important to any business, but it’s difficult to come up with a concise definition. It’s even harder to effectively and consciously steer that culture in one direction or another, especially during a pandemic. Defining Company Culture Indeed provides the following definition of company, or […]

Ignore Them and They’ll Go Away: Dealing With Toxic Employees

“Ignore them and they will go away” was advice that I heard about bullies when I was a kid (and about teeth by one snarky dentist). Whether that approach works or not, that certainly seems to be what fellow employees do most often to their toxic co-workers. Recent research shows that 44% of respondents say […]

mentoring

3 Attributes Leaders Should Embody to Inspire Employee Growth

By the pure nature of how they conduct themselves with every touchpoint, executives are influencing – for better or worse – the next generation of leaders. That’s why integrity and understanding the power of influence are so important when it comes to professional development. Much of the success of people programs rest on the example leaders set […]

FMLA Status No Protection against Firing for Poor Performance

An employer did not engage in discrimination under the Family and Medical Leave Act when it fired an employee for performance issues, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held, at a time when the employee also was using intermittent FMLA leave. The court noted that the company never wavered from its claim that it […]

Dress Code Tips Inspired by JLo and Shakira’s Halftime Performance

Is it just me, or has JLo and Shakira’s halftime performance at the Super Bowl received more attention than the game itself? As with so many other issues these days, we are a country divided. Some believe the performance was magnificent and empowering, while others have derided the halftime show as a burlesque sequel to […]

compensation

$608 in Unpaid Overtime Cost Texas Employer $41,333 in Attorneys’ Fees

By the way, the amount of attorneys’ fees in the headline is not the amount the employer paid its lawyers. Oh, no—that’s the amount it had to pay the employee’s lawyers for suing to recover the $608 in unpaid overtime. To make the disparity even stranger, the employee lost two of his three claims at […]