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Showing 76 posts from 2013.

Tightening the Belt & Loosening Enforcement: Effects of the Sequester on Employment Issues

May 20, 2013
Posted In Employment Law, Federal Workplace Agencies, National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), OSHA, Sequester

In the months before it took effect, there was a great deal of political finger-pointing and intense debates on the looming sequester. The sequester, a plan implemented through the Budget Control Act of 2011, affects every “program, project and activity” of the federal government by reducing funding to the aforementioned. The cuts aim to save $1.2 trillion over ten years, with defense and domestic discretionary spending both on the chopping block. This year, $85 million dollars will be saved from a requested outlay of $3.803 trillion dollars. More >

Contemplate Before You Terminate: Rules of Termination

May 13, 2013
Posted In Employee Personnel Files, Employment Law, Hiring and Firing, Human Resource Department, Workplace Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation

Donald Trump makes it look easy. With a simple statement (“You’re fired!”), the employee gets up and exits the boardroom. And like that, the underachiever is nixed from the show, ushered into a limo, and never seen again (at least, until the “All-Star” season). If only the real world was that easy. The decision to terminate an employee can give any employer anxiety, even if it is undoubtedly for the betterment of the business. This sense of dread is not without warrant; termination can be a legal landmine. Even terminating “at-will” employees requires cautious consideration. You can cover your bases, though, by carefully drafting policies, adhering to procedures, and relying on some common sense. Before any action is taken, review these simple rules that can protect you from a lawsuit. More >

Association Group Coverage Changes

May 9, 2013
Posted In Employer Group Health Plans, ERISA

Trade Associations in Kentucky are being asked to show that they meet ERISA “bona fide association” requirements in order to continue to provide group health insurance for their members under health reform requirements effective in 2014.  Such group health insurance may be a more affordable option for some businesses as new health reform requirements begin to take effect. More >

Twitter: Little Statements with Big Consequences for Companies, cont.

May 8, 2013
Posted In Employment Law, Human Resource Department, Social Media, Social Media Policies

Earlier this week, I gave some advice on how to protect your business’s Twitter account. The hijacking of a Twitter account can have an incredibly negative impact on your business. If you missed it, review the advice I offered in my earlier post and consider these additional steps. More >

Twitter: Little Statements with Big Consequences for Companies

May 6, 2013
Posted In Employment Law, Online Account Protection, Social Media, Social Media Policies

Twitter is under attack. In recent months, accounts belonging to media giants CBS, BBC, and NPR have all been temporarily taken over by hackers. The Associated Press is the most recent victim. On April 23, 2013, a false statement about explosions at the White House and the President being injured sent shock waves through the Twitter-sphere. The real surprise is the effect the single tweet had in the real world: the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index dropped so sharply moments after the frightening tweet that $136 billion in market value was wiped out. While the hacking of these massive media outlets make headlines, everyday businesses are not safe from the threat, either. In February of this year, a hacker changed the @BurgerKing feed to resemble that of McDonald's, putting the McDonald's logo in place of Burger King's. The hackers posted offensive claims about company employees and practices. If accounts belonging to well-established companies like these are vulnerable, so is yours. If a tweet can have a profound impact on the nation’s stock market, imagine what an ill-contrived tweet could do to your business. More >

Another Facebook Case, Another Lesson Learned, cont.

By Jaron P. Blandford on May 2, 2013
Posted In Employment Law, Gatto v. United Airlines and allied Aviation Services, Hiring and Firing, Litigation, Social Media

On Monday, you learned the basic facts of a new Facebook/employer-related ruling out of New Jersey. How did the court rule? The New Jersey federal court held that the plaintiff’s deletion of his Facebook account during the discovery phase of litigation did constitute spoliation of evidence. The court considered the plaintiff’s action so egregious that it resulted in an “adverse inference” instruction against him at trial. More >

Another Facebook Case, Another Lesson Learned

By Jaron P. Blandford on April 29, 2013
Posted In Employment Law, Gatto v. United Airlines and allied Aviation Services, Hiring and Firing, Human Resource Department, Internet & Media Law, Litigation

There is no shortage of recent court rulings dealing with implications and consequences of social media. One of the latest comes from a New Jersey federal court and its holding should get employers’ attention. In Gatto v. United Airlines and Allied Aviation Servs., et al., No 10-CV-1090 (D.N.J., March 25, 2013), the plaintiff, Frank Gatto, was employed as a ground operations supervisor at John F. Kennedy Airport. He brought suit against United Airlines claiming that, while he was unloading baggage, a United Airlines aircraft caused a set of fueler stairs (owned by Allied Aviation) to crash into him. Gatto claimed that the resulting injuries rendered him permanently disabled. More >

Do You Need Employment Practices Liability Insurance?

April 24, 2013
Posted In Crisis Management, Employment Law, Employment Practices Liability Insurance, Workplace Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation

According to the 2012-2013 Edition of Jury Award Trends and Statistics, the national median award for employment practice claims in 2011 was $325,000, up from $172,500 in 2010. This figure confirms what many in the employment law community already know to be true, that the number of employment practices claims has increased, and with that increase there has been an increase in the size of awards over the years as well.  There is no reason to believe that this trend will not continue, and no business should believe itself to be immune from employment practice claims. More >

“Why Does She Get To Do That?” Handling Questions about Employee ADA Accommodations

April 17, 2013
Posted In Americans with Disabilities Act, Employee Handbook, Employment Discrimination Laws, Employment Law, Human Resource Department, Job Requirement

The Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) requires any employer with fifteen or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities, as long as doing so does not result in “undue hardship” to the employer. A reasonable accommodation can be any change in the work place that helps a person with a disability to enjoy equal employment opportunities. The ADA has very strict guidelines about when and how an employer may inquire about an employee’s disability. What happens, though, when a non-ADA employee asks you, the employer, why another employee is receiving perceived preferential treatment? More >

Are You Going to Play or Pay? Part II

April 10, 2013
Posted In Employer Mandate, Employment Law, Insurance Coverage, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Play or Pay

On Monday, we discussed how to determine if you are a “large employer” for purposes of the ACA’s employer mandate. Once you know whether the mandate is applicable, the next step is to know what you will be signing up for if you decide to “play.”  The mandate requires you to offer “minimum essential health coverage” that is “affordable” to all full-time employees in 2014. Of course, you need to know what these vague terms really mean. Here’s a general description: More >

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