EEOC issues new rules interpreting the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act regarding the collection of genetic information by employers. Employers should be careful about requesting or acquiring genetic information about employees.
Archive for the ‘Employment Policies’ category
Limitations On Use of Genetic Information By Employers
February 10, 2011Who Is a “Son or Daughter” Under the FMLA?
June 22, 2010Employees can use FMLA protected leave for the placement of a child or to care for a child for whom they have no legal and/or biological relationship and for whom they provide no financial support. Think stepparents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, or any adult who has assumed the responsibilities of a parent for a child.
Public Employees, Pagers and Privacy
June 19, 2010The Court’s opinion, written by Justice Kennedy, decided not to decide “the whole concept of privacy expectations in communications made on electronic equipment owwned by a government employer.” Instead the Court decided the case applying basic Fourth Amendment principles, and decided that regardless of the employee’s privacy expectations, the search here was reasonable on settled Fourth Amendment grounds.
Getting Paid for Getting Dressed
June 19, 2010The U.S. Department of Labor recently issued a new interpretation of donning and doffing requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act, bringing the Department’s interpretation in line with recent court decisions. The issue is whether employees should be paid for putting on and taking off clothing before and after work.
Breastfeeding Moms at Work
May 20, 2010The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was recently amended to allow nursing mothers to take unpaid breaks to express breast milk at work. This amendment is codified at 29 U.S.C. 207(r)(1). It requires an employer to provide a “reasonable” break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year [...]
WASHINGTON STATE WAGE AND HOUR FAQ’S
March 26, 2010The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries recently released a fact sheet covering frequently asked questions (FAQs) about pay requirements, deductions from pay, hiring a teen worker, employee uniforms, and employee access to personnel files. The fact sheet is a succinct description of the laws with links to more detailed fact sheets on some [...]
Guns at Work
March 13, 2010Two recent court decisions in Seattle regarding regulation of firearms could cause employers and employees to question whether an employer can prohibit or regulate guns at work in Washington State. Background On February 10, 2010, King County Superior Court Judge Catherine Shaffer signed an Order Granting Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment in the case of Chan v. [...]
Soliciting Donations at Work
January 18, 2010In the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, many people are eager to help, including raising money at work to support the relief efforts. The following are some tips to consider before soliciting donations at work: Check your company’s policies on solicitations for charities. Some employers prohibit solicitations using company equipment or computers; some only [...]
Cell Phones at Work
January 12, 2010The use of cell phones, PDAs and other electronic devices in the workplace has skyrocketed in recent years, and many employers’ policies have not kept up. The following are some of the issues: Employee privacy in personal data kept on a cell phone that is also used for work; employer ownership of data kept on [...]
