If you think this sounds like a “bad joke,” think again. The United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) has been quite transparent as of late that it is ramping up its FMLA investigatory activities to include unannounced, on-site visits. Although the DOL has historically called employers to arrange on-site visits, particularly for FMLA investigations, the
What’s the Best Defense Against Employee Lawsuits?
Clients frequently seek advice concerning tips for avoiding and/or defending against employment discrimination claims. Read this blog entry for some tips you should consider.
Document performance deficiencies. We often see in our practice that managers will give a verbal warning to an employee but will never write it down or put a notation in the
You Just Made The List…
OSHA has continued its proactive approach to targeting and inspecting businesses in 2013. It’s not like it used to be, when you could expect to be clear of an OSHA inspection if you kept your employees happy (i.e., no complaints to OSHA) and safe (i.e., no reportable accidents). If you met those two goals not
What State Marijuana Legalization Means for Employers.
The use of medical marijuana is currently authorized in 18 states and the District of Columbia. Two of these states—Colorado and Washington—have also legalized the recreational use of marijuana. Despite these recent changes in state law, marijuana remains illegal under federal law, creating confusion as to how the passage of these laws will affect employers’
Is your employees’ smart phone use exposing you to Off the Clock claims?
The Northern District of Illinois recently certified* a class action in a case alleging that employers should pay overtime wages for time employees spend checking their e-mail after hours. The police officer who sued the city of Chicago claims the Police Department had an “unwritten policy” requiring officers to check their BlackBerry after normal
The National Labor Relations Board: A Pawn In A Political Chess Game
On January 25, 2013, the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (Noel Canning v. NLRB) invalidated President Obama’s appointment of Sharon Block, Terence Flynn and Richard Griffin to the National Labor Relations Board based on the court’s conclusion that the three “recess” appointments failed to meet the requirements of the