Employer’s Corner Blog
Work Is A Battlefield When Small Business Owners Romance An Employee
Valentine’s Day always brings up the question of whether office romances should be banned. While a flat-out ban is not a necessity, employers need to worry when a supervisor gets involved with a direct report. If the employee feels mistreated, a sexual harassment complaint and lawsuit are just waiting to happen. The possibility of legal trouble is even more likely in a small business, when an owner gets involved with an employee.
read moreLitigation of the Absurd – Employee’s Negligence Must Be Defended and Paid For by Injured Customer’s Insurance
Legal results can be confusing. Sometimes, they can even defy common sense. Case in point: what if an employee injures a customer? One would expect the employer or its insurer would have to defend the lawsuit and possibly compensate the customer. However, a recent Wisconsin Court of Appeals case flips this notion on its head. In Blasing v. Menards, the court ruled that the injured customer’s insurer must defend the company and indemnify it against any loss.
read moreEEOC’s Strategic Enforcement Plan for 2013 – 2016
On December 17, 2012 the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) approved a strategic enforcement plan, which will be effective from October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2016. The plan outlines six enforcement priorities that employers should keep in mind.
read moreWisconsin Employees Can Have 90 Days to File State Claims For FMLA Related Damages
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals recently clarified just how much time an employee can have to file a circuit court claim for damages under the state’s Family Medical Leave Act.
read moreOctober 2012 Employment Report
On November 2, 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Employment Situation report for October 2012. The news was relatively the same compared to the previous month – the unemployment rate for October was 7.9%, up .1% from the previous month, but still 1 percentage point below October 2011.
read moreNLRB Shows How At-Will Clauses In Employee Handbooks Can Be Lawful
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) released two advice memos on October 31, 2012 which shed light on how to draft an NLRA compliant at-will clause.
read moreNLRB Judge Finds Woodman’s Food Market Engaged in Unfair Labor Practices
An Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) has ruled that Woodman’s Food Market in Appleton, WI violated the National Labor Relation Act by engaging in coercive actions, refusing to recognize the union, and refusing to bargain.
read moreSeptember 2012 Employment Report
On October 5, 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Employment Situation report for September 2012. It contained some fairly good news – the unemployment rate for September was 7.8%, down more than a full percentage point from September 2011.
read moreDid Wisconsin just recognize public sector collective bargaining as a fundamental right?
2011 Wisconsin Act 10 - the now famous and controversial law that essentially gutted collective bargaining rights for public employees has been ruled unconstitutional. The decision appears to be the first by a Wisconsin court to recognize collective bargaining as a constitutionally protected fundamental right. What does the decision mean for the future of public sector collective bargaining in Wisconsin?
read moreEmployee’s political activities bring the police to the workplace.
Wisconsin's Capitol Police visited an employee's workplace to hand-deliver a citation. Can the employer take action if it doesn't like the employee's potentially unlawful political activity? Or because the employee gets a criminal citation? What rules do employers need to keep in mind?
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