May an Illinois employer legally fire or lay off a worker who is on maternity leave? The answer is that there are laws protecting workers on leave, and there are laws against singling out workers for a layoff or a firing because they are pregnant. If there
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Many employers in Massachusetts and elsewhere nationwide are often surprised to discover that some salaried employees are entitled to overtime pay. It is also important for employers to understand that not every salaried employee who carries the title of “manager” or executive is automatically outside the protection
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Many companies in Nevada and elsewhere in the U.S. have policies for paid sick leave. They have determined that it is best to protect the income of those workers who are genuinely too ill to work. Some companies offer sick pay because they must honor a union contract requiring
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In Michigan, employees who take maternity leave are protected by at least two federal laws from being singled out for firing or layoff. There are circumstances, however, under which it is legal to lay off someone on family leave. There are 11 states, in addition,
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There is no law in Alaska that requires employers to offer paid sick leave to workers. No state mandates paid sick leave, although several have considered taking that measure. Nor does the federal government require sick leave payment. Paid sick leave was originally established through union negotiations.
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Many workers in New Jersey and elsewhere in the U.S. are under the impression that they are legally entitled to paid sick leave. This is an erroneous assumption. There is not a single state in the Union that requires paid sick leave. No federal law demands it.
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Workers in Mississippi are protected by the federal FMLA, or Family and Medical Leave Act. They are also covered by another federal law, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA). The question is whether or not Mississippi workers may ever be legally fired or laid off while they are
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In the absence of a written employee/employer contract, most Colorado companies follow the “Employment at Will” practice. Many workers wonder exactly what “Employment at Will” means and how it applies to the workplace. Basically, the employment at will doctrine allows employers to fire a worker
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Most Michigan employers provide their workers two paid breaks per day, usually lasting 10 to 15 minutes. Michigan employees are asking if Muslim workers are permitted to take additional breaks for prayer. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers are prohibited from discriminating
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Virtually every other country recognizes the copyright laws in the United States. In turn, the U.S. recognizes those countries’ copyright laws. As a result, copyright laws are often referred to as “international copyright laws”. Several people in Alaska have wondered exactly what is covered by copyright law
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Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers are prohibited from discrimination against employers because of their religion. The law applies to all aspects of employment, such as hiring, advancement, training and termination. As a result of Title VII, New Mexico employers must make
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Does the “two-lock system” in Alabama mean confidential files are kept in a locked cabinet in a locked room? Yes, it usually does. Two federal laws, ADA (American with Disabilities Act) and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) require that an employee’s personal information be kept
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Several court cases have ruled that making exceptions to the dress code usually constitutes a reasonable accommodation under the law. These rulings are the result of suits filed by employees who were discriminated against because of their religion, specifically regarding how they dress. For example, a Phoenix
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A reader asks, “If my sister gives me a copy of her original recipe for Kahlua Chocolate Pie, do I have the right to publish the recipe in my church cookbook? The answer is no. Giving someone a copy of an original works does not convey the rights to
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Personal employee data, such as disability status, race, age, religion, medical condition and background, are required by law to be kept confidential and separate from personnel files. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) are the relevant laws that require this
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Federal law prohibits employers from discriminating against workers because of their race, religion, color, country of origin, sex, age (over 40) and disability. This law applies to all employment practices, including termination, specifically “Employment at Will”. Several employees have asked about “Employment at Will” and how it
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Nebraska employees and employers can learn a lot about dress code from a case in Arizona. In 2002, a Phoenix rental car agency fired an Islamic woman for refusing to remove her headscarf during the holy month of Ramadan. The employee contacted the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity
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Many Oregon employees wonder, are employees allowed to practice religion in the workplace? For example, can Muslim workers take prayer breaks? The answer to both questions is yes, unless the religious practices create hardship for the employer. The federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, specifically Title VII,
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Exactly what is covered under federal copyright law? Federal copyright laws protect intellectual property, which includes works of art (paintings, photographs and sculptures), songs (tune and lyrics), software, the written word, and other original works. In Federal and in the rest of the nation, the creator of
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Many Louisiana employees ask, “What does ‘Employment at Will’ mean?” “Employment at Will” is a common business practice used when a written employer/employee agreement is not in place. This practice allows employees to quit their job at any time for any reason, or for no reason. In
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Two federal laws, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) require that certain employee information, including race, color, religion, disability status, background, credit and age be kept confidential and separate from personnel files. Illinois employees wonder how this information
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Are Muslim employees in Texas permitted to take prayer breaks at work? Yes, in most cases, they are. According to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers are prohibited from discrimination against employees due to religion, race, color, national origin and sex. This is
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Employers are required by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide reasonable accommodations for an employee’s religious beliefs and practices. The law also prohibits employers from discrimination against employees because of their religion in all aspects of employment, including salary, working conditions, benefits and promotions.
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Many people in Hawaii wonder, if a person gives me a copy of a poem they wrote, can I publish it in my local newspaper? Original works in Hawaii and in the rest of the country are covered under the federal copyright laws, so the answer is
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The courts have handed down several rulings regarding the confidentiality of an employee’s personal information. Two federal laws Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) require that medical information and personal information such as background, age, race, religion, credit and disability status be
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Most employers realize that terminating an employee without warning is bad for company morale and bad for productivity. Employees, too, usually give notice when leaving a job, two weeks notice is customary. Knowing this, many workers are concerned with “Employment at Will” and how it is applied
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Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides freedom from religious discrimination in the workplace. The law requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for a worker’s religious beliefs, including how the worker dresses. The law applies, however, only to those workers with sincerely held beliefs.
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Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for a worker’s sincerely held religious beliefs. Employees in Vermont have asked if that includes prayer breaks for Muslim workers. In most cases, companies must by law permit Muslim employees to
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Copyright laws are U.S. federal laws that protect intellectual property. This includes many types of original works such as the written word, songs (tune and lyrics), software, paintings, photographs and other works of art. Movies, TV, dance and radio broadcasts are also covered by copyright.
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Many Montana employees wonder, what is Employment at Will in the workplace? “Employment at will” is a common business practice that is used when an employment contract doesn’t exist. Under this practice, an employer can fire a worker at any time for any reason, or without a
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