No federal law mandates or speaks to written warnings for employees. In fact, no state laws address the matter, either. Most companies, however, have developed what is called a formal and progressive discipline procedure. The typical policy allows for one or more verbal reprimand or warning, usually
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If an employer has a union contract in place which requires the employees to be paid for sick leave, that employer must provide paid sick leave. If there is no contract in place, the employer doesn’t have to provide any sick days at all. Sick leave is
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Rhode Island utilizes the “two-lock” system to maintain confidentiality of an employee’s privileged information. Rhode Island law doesn’t address the exact parameters of the lock system so many employers and employees wonder how the system works. The two lock system is a safe, and probably the most
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Many employees mistakenly think that if they refuse to sign a written warning, it doesn’t count. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most large companies do it as a matter of standard operating procedure. The best Human Resources professionals strongly advise employers to pursue it.
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Whether it is in Alabama or elsewhere in the U.S., employers these days must make “reasonable accommodations” for disabled employees. Under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), reasonable accommodations are the law of the land. While the ADA mandates that employers in Alabama and
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Both federal and Tennessee laws require that employers pay overtime to workers who put in over 40 hours in one week. There is no law, however, that requires employers to provide employees with paid holidays, or to pay extra to employees who work on holidays. Human
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Illinois is joining the ranks of the 10 % of states with the highest minimum wages nationwide. As part of a statutory automatic increase of 25 cents an hour, the Illinois minimum wage increased to $8.00 per hour on July 1, 2009. That is up from $7.75 per
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Many Michigan workers have questions about paid travel time during the workday. If the job requires traveling from job site to job site, is that considered paid time? Is travel time to the first job site of the day paid time? The relevant law is the federal
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North Carolina does not have a law on the books to address light duty restrictions in the workplace. There is no federal law on this subject, either. Employers are permitted to establish their own policies for light duty. The U. S. Department of Labor has formulated some
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Maine employers are not required to provide smoking breaks for their employees. There is no state law mandating these breaks, nor is there a federal law. In fact, employers are not required by law to provide any breaks at all. Any worker over the age of 18 can be
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Maryland employees wonder if there are any safety tips for using ATVs. Yes there are. ATVs have become more and more popular in industries such as construction and landscaping. Though these vehicles look like toys, they can be dangerous. As their use increases, so do the ATV-related
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Discriminating against someone at work because of their religion is illegal. Washington employers are legally obligated to make “reasonable accommodations” for a worker’s religious beliefs under federal law. The relevant law is the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, specifically Title VII. Under Title VII, employers are
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Some Delaware employers have wondered exactly what constitutes “reasonable accommodations” for disabled workers. The answer is “reasonable” depends on the job and on the employer. For example, installing a wheelchair ramp, a cost of around $400, could be considered a reasonable accommodation even for a
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A Georgia employer is tired of immature employees and enacts a plan to hire only applicants over the age of 25. Several Georgia workers have wondered if this practice is discrimination. The answer is no. Hiring only applicants over the age of 25 does not constitute age
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Prior to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, landmark legislation that was passed in 1990, employers were not obligated to make adjustments for disabled workers. In fact, businesses and government agencies were allowed to design barriers that would prevent access for a disabled worker. After
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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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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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Employers are not legally obligated to provide paid sick time for its employees. There is no federal or Louisiana labor law relating to sick pay. Approximately 10 states will pay terminated workers for accrued vacation time, but no state requires companies to pay employees for accrued sick
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In the Human Resources field, “holiday pay” usually means: the pay that an employee receives for a holiday off. Typically, that means the company pays each worker for 8 hours that he or she did not work on a holiday. In almost every case, holiday pay is
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In New York, and in other states across the country, employers are often surprised to learn that salaried employees can be eligible for overtime. According to the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act), all employers are required to pay overtime pay (1.5 times their usual hourly rate) for
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Oklahoma employers may set any payday they chose. Once the day is set, however, the employer must honor it. Failure to do so violates the law. Oklahoma state minimum wage law prohibits this practice, because by not paying workers, the employer is paying less than minimum wage,
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Requiring or administering polygraph tests as a pre-employment screening tool is illegal in most cases. Utah follows the federal EPPA (Employee Polygraph Prohibition Act), which prohibits most private employers from using polygraphs as a job requirement. Utah employers cannot require a polygraph as a condition of employment,
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Most Human Resources professionals agree that discrimination based on sexual orientation is not a good company policy. Many employers have established policies to prohibit this type of discrimination. Several states and cities have established laws prohibiting the practice. To illustrate, examine the LAD (Law Against Discrimination) in
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Employees are protected from discrimination based on religion by Title Vii of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This federal law requires employer to make reasonable accommodations for an employee’s religious practices, unless it creates undue hardship on the company. Undue hardship can differ among companies depending
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Employers in South Carolina are not required by state law to give employees any kind of break during the workday. In fact, there is no federal law mandating employee breaks either. Companies are perfectly within their rights to demand a worker put in 12 hours or more with no
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All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) are particularly useful in industries such as landscaping, construction and forestry that require a lot of outdoor work in Florida. Many people think these vehicles are recreational and fun, not realizing that they can be quite dangerous. For example, an ATV was involved in a
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When a worker is injured at work, he or she has worker’s compensation to provide paid benefits. If an employee is ill due to pregnancy, or has a heart attack or is seriously ill from in some other way, there is no federal law to guarantee that worker income
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The term hostile environment was first coined in relationship to sexual harassment in the workplace, but the term isn’t limited to gender. The term doesn’t have to be sexual in nature, or involve physical contact. Jibes and taunts about an employee’s accent, culture, disability, clothes or other protected characteristics
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Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination against workers due to their race, color, sex, national origin and religion. This law covers all aspects of employment, including hiring, firing, training, advancement, transfer, wages, benefits and working environment. Though Title VII protects Kentucky
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Wyoming employees are curious about the rules governing religion in the workplace. For example, can Muslim workers take time from work for prayer? The answer to that question is yes, in most cases. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, specifically Title VII prohibits discrimination against employees due
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