Managing People at Work

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Legal Issues

A collection of 93 issues

How careless leadership talk can tip a discrimination case

A recent 11th Circuit decision is a good reminder that repeated remarks from leadership about wanting “younger” workers can become powerful evidence of discrimination. Even when an employer points to other reasons for its decisions, a jury may not buy them if the paper trail does not line up.

6 employment law rules every manager must follow

You don’t need to be an attorney to manage effectively, but knowing key employment laws is nonnegotiable. Missteps can cost your company money, damage morale and put you in the hot seat. HR expert Suzanne Lucas lays out six legal areas where managers need to be informed—and careful.

Summer heat: 7 tips to keep workers safe

As temperatures start to rise, remind supervisors to keep in mind these seven safety tips from OSHA to help prevent heat stroke or other heat-related illnesses.

Avoid these 4 layoff lawsuit triggers

In addition to being gut-wrenching for HR, layoffs are a legal landmine. Here are four layoff errors to avoid.

Contingency plan: Heed these cautions when compiling layoff lists

Even if you don’t believe you will have to eliminate jobs any time soon, it’s probably a good idea to start formulating preliminary layoff plans now so you can move quickly if the need arises.

Play ball! But limit your liability at summer social events

Say your marketing director breaks his leg during an after-hours employee softball game against a crosstown company. Who’s responsible? You might be surprised.

Electronic signatures: What employers need to know

For centuries, a signature at the bottom of a piece of paper has meant someone agrees with what the document says. Can keystrokes carry the same legal weight as pen strokes? Yes. Two federal laws establish the legality of e-signatures in this country: the UETA and E-SIGN.

Recognize legal peril of automatically rejecting requests for religious accommodation

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Groff v. DeJoy, employees and their lawyers have been testing the limits on how far employers must go to accommodate religious beliefs and practices.

Recognize the bright line between harassment and run-of-the-mill personality clashes

Employees don’t always get along—and you can’t force them to actually like each other. Take solace in the fact that unless workplace animosity creates a truly hostile environment, allegations of discrimination or harassment won’t succeed in court unless an employee can prove that a co-worker targete

Never require work during military FMLA leave

Employers may be tempted to push back against employees’ FMLA military caregiver leave rights, asking them to continue working when they can despite caring for their military family members. That’s an FMLA-interference lawsuit waiting to happen.