Corporate culture is important. So is conflict resolution in the workplace, right? What happens when you implement a program to improve on both issues and your employees are not on board with it? What do you do? Can you discipline them? Maybe. If you discipline the employees that don’t follow the program can they claim […]
Give It a Rest: When Do You Have to Accommodate an Employee’s Sabbath Request?
You run a retail establishment. You hire a new Manager. The position requires work on the weekends. The candidate tells you that s/he is a practicing Seventh Day Adventist and needs Saturdays off to observe his Sabbath. What do you do? Can you rescind the offer? Are you obligated to honor your offer and allow […]
Employment Discrimination? S/he’s Not My Employee…
Can you be liable for employment discrimination against someone who’s not your employee? Sometimes. Title VII and the other aforementioned laws prohibit employers from discriminating. These laws loosely define employers as entities with a minimum number of employees, usually 15 or more (20 or more under the ADEA). If you meet that threshold, you are […]
Can You Make Your Employees Get Flu Shots?
Flu season is coming. If you work for a health care institution or organization that could be of particular concern. Mandatory vaccination programs are very common in the healthcare industry. Is it legal? Usually, yes. Some states might even require you to offer the vaccine. But even a mandatory flu shot (or other vaccination) may […]
When is a Reasonable Accommodation Not Reasonable?
Most employers know they have to reasonably accommodate qualified applicants’ and employees’ disabilities. Not all employers know that they also have to reasonably accommodate employees’ religious practices. That doesn’t mean you have to grant every request for an accommodation, however. The key word here is reasonable. So what is a reasonable accommodation, and what determines […]