Quirky Questions

Real Life Employment Law

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A New Question Every Week

Nearly every day, executives and managers, and the in-house counsel and Human Resources professionals who work with them, are confronted with unanticipated questions regarding the workforce. Just when they think they have "seen it all," along comes a new and often stranger scenario involving an odd twist to an area they thought they fully understood. These individuals often find themselves back at square one when trying to construct an appropriate response and devise a creative solution to the problem presented. Sometimes these "Quirky Questions" can be resolved easily; other times, they implicate practical and legal issues that are not immediately apparent.

This Quirky Employment Questions Blog addresses unanticipated questions regarding the workforce.

We encourage you to submit your thoughts and reactions to the questions presented. We also encourage you to submit questions that you would like to see addressed, subject to these guidelines.

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17 Search results

For the term "indefinite".
Alcoholism and a Last Chance Warning, Quirky Question # 142

Alcoholism and a Last Chance Warning, Quirky Question # 142

 

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Question: I work as an HR representative in a medium-sized California business – we employ about 50 people.  Recently, a situation with one of our employees was brought to my attention, and I’ve been asked how to handle it.  We have an administrative assistant with an alcohol problem.  We have reason to believe that her alcoholism was the true reason...

POSTED IN California Questions, Disability Discrimination
Accommodating Disabled Employee with Serious Illness, Quirky Question # 101

Accommodating Disabled Employee with Serious Illness, Quirky Question # 101

 

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Quirky Question # 101: We recently hired a 49 year-old employee to manage one of our manufacturing facilities.  The employee completed two weeks of paid training and began working at the beginning of the month.  His role is central to the success of the facility.  Less than a month into his new job, however, he called in sick.  Shortly thereafter,...

VIEW ALL POSTS ABOUT: Disability Discrimination
Downsizing and Foreign Nationals, Quirky Question # 76

Downsizing and Foreign Nationals, Quirky Question # 76

 

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Quirky Question # 76: I read with interest your analysis of alternatives to layoffs [Quirky Question # 71].  We have a slightly different issue.  Like many companies, we are facing the difficult prospect of downsizing staff.  We are a small technology company with operations in the US and an office abroad.  Among our professional staff are a number of foreign...

POSTED IN Discipline and Discharge, International Employment Law
Downsizing Alternatives? Quirky Question # 71

Downsizing Alternatives? Quirky Question # 71

 

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Quirky Question # 71: The country is in a recession.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that U.S. employers reduced the size of their workforces by more than 500,000 employees in November alone, with an eleven-month total of more than 1.5 million. Like every company, we’re considering whether to reduce the size of our workforce sometime during 2009, assuming the...

VIEW ALL POSTS ABOUT: Discipline and Discharge
Blackberry Use and Overtime Pay, Quirky Question # 48

Blackberry Use and Overtime Pay, Quirky Question # 48

 

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Quirky Question # 48: The regular business hours for our IT Help Desk are 8:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Obviously, people sometimes need IT support outside those hours, and the four non-exempt employees who staff the Help Desk are issued BlackBerries to respond to e-mails and calls outside of regular business hours. These employees were very happy...

VIEW ALL POSTS ABOUT: Wage and Hour Issues