EPELog

In response to the financial impact of the Great Recession on employees (notwithstanding the storm weathered by employers), the Secretary of Labor has been tasked with developing proposed amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) that would further restrict employee pay classifications, with the practical result being that employers may have increased overtime pay … [Read more...] about Proposed Amendments to the FLSA Postponed: The Department of Labor Gives Employers Something Else to be Grateful for this Thanksgiving

What is an employer to do when an employee needs to exercise his or her right to take intermittent leave, as allowed under the Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”), particularly when the employee holds a position that is valuable to the organization and/or requires reliable attendance? One solution may be to temporarily transfer the employee to another position. For those employers who have not … [Read more...] about Managing Employee Leave: One Way to Cope with Intermittent FMLA Leave

With Ebola being headline news this fall, words like “quarantine” and “epidemic” are replacing the typical television show water cooler talk in the workplace.  Now that there have been confirmed cases of the disease in the United States, employers are concerned about balancing efforts to prevent transmission of the disease with the rights of employees under various employment and labor laws. The … [Read more...] about Managing Ebola Concerns in the Pennsylvania Workplace

The growing use of electronic cigarettes, many of which do not actually involve smoke, is raising concerns about “smoking” in the workplace and employers’ need to take action if they wish to keep employees from using them in the workplace. While some advocacy groups are fighting efforts to prohibit the use of electronic cigarettes with a claim that such items are in fact a smoking cessation … [Read more...] about Could Your Company’s Anti-Smoking Policy Go Up in a Puff of Water Vapor? What Private Employers Should Consider

As I was driving to work this morning, I saw an advertisement for electronic cigarettes and I started to wonder if existing policies concerning tobacco use on employer’s property would cover such a thing? This raises a common theme about which we employment attorneys are always cautioning our clients, that periodically, administration/management needs to look at existing policies or handbooks to … [Read more...] about Revisiting Your Handbook Doesn’t Have To Be A Drag

Historically, before the advent of easily conducted background searches, employment decisions were based purely on personal instincts and connections. Today, it’s surprising how much information an employer can learn about a job applicant by obtaining a background report from a consumer reporting agency, also known as a “consumer report”.  However, do not let the ease of access fool you. Any time … [Read more...] about Using Consumer Reports To Make Personnel Decisions? You May Want To Revisit Your Policies and Practices