Q We administer a voluntary leave program through which workers can donate paid leave to their colleagues to obtain necessary medical treatment. Recently an employee asked to use the program to seek substance abuse treatment for alcoholism. This isn't the type of treatment we had in mind when we established the program. Are we required to allow...
Intoxicated Kansas worker who fell through roof qualifies for workers' compensation. After throwing back a few beers on a Sunday morning, an employee was instructed to repair the roof of a building. While he was on the roof, a swarm of ants attacked him, and he fell through the roof as he tried to brush them off. Although the employee's blood...
Q We administer a voluntary leave program through which workers can donate paid leave to their colleagues to obtain necessary medical treatment. Recently an employee asked to use the program to seek substance abuse treatment for alcoholism. This isn't the type of treatment we had in mind when we established the program. Are we required to allow...
Q We administer a voluntary leave program through which workers can donate paid leave to their colleagues to obtain necessary medical treatment. Recently an employee asked to use the program to seek substance abuse treatment for alcoholism. This isn't the type of treatment we had in mind when we established the program. Are we required to allow...
If there's one thing on which smokers and nonsmokers can agree, it's that smoking is an expensive habit. While tobacco companies and trade groups challenge coupon and discount bans on cigarettes, employers have taken up a different fight against the rising costs of smoking.
For several years, employers have begun offering smoking-cessation...
In University of Texas Southwest Medical Center v. Nassar, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that retaliation claims brought under Title VII must be supported by evidence that the employer wouldn't have taken the retaliatory action "but for" the employee's protected conduct. In November, a district court judge in Oregon decided that the shift in...
The issue of employer responsibility for an employee's intoxication continues to pop up. Recently, the court of appeals covering Houston provided good news for Texas employers in this area.
Worker has history of intoxication
EOG Resources, an energy exploration company, has a contract with Vaquero, which assists EOG with its explorations....
This month's column addresses some peculiarities in Michigan employment law that may differ from the law in other states.
Know the law
Smoking. Michigan law prohibits smoking in any "place of employment" and in other "public places" and "food service establishments." The ban doesn't apply to (1) motor vehicles where work is conducted; (2) a...
Although company-sponsored holiday parties can serve as a nice "thank you" to employees for a year of hard work and provide good motivation for the upcoming year, they can also create liability issues for employers. So while employees relax and prepare to celebrate the holidays, this is a stressful time of year for many HR professionals. Careful...
