No, you shouldn’t make any inquiries into an applicant’s history of calling in sick. Asking about absences because of illness or injury before extending an offer of employment runs afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act because it’s likely to elicit information about an applicant’s disability. Sick leave...
It would, yes. The birth of a child is a HIPAA special enrollment right, meaning the employee, their spouse, and their newborn child may enroll into the medical plan midyear. However, it’s a somewhat common misconception to assume the employee can also enroll their other children,...
In a survey by McKinsey & Company, 75 percent of employers acknowledged that there’s a stigma around mental health in the workplace. People in the workplace, leaders included, are afraid to speak up about their mental health needs or ask for help. As the McKinsey report notes,...
In most cases, yes. In general, you can offer the option of unpaid leave when an employee has used all of their paid leave time. A few things to keep in mind: In some situations, such as under the Family and Medical Leave Act, the...
In the event you’re made aware that an employee needs medical leave, but the employee is not available for direct contact due to inpatient care in a facility or incapacitation, send the applicable leave paperwork to the employee’s address on file. The employee may have...
FMLA is short for the Family and Medical Leave Act, a federal law that provides employees with unpaid, job protected leave and benefits continuation in certain circumstances. People also commonly call leave under this law FMLA, as in “I’m going on FMLA.” FMLA generally provides...
As we enter the new year, the risks of COVID-19 may recede, but the trauma, pain, and disruptions of these past two years will still be with us, affecting our lives and our work. We’ve all struggled, sometimes in ways we can’t pinpoint. In her book Bearing the...
OSHA published its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring COVID vaccination or testing for employees of employers with 100 or more employees. Employers must start following the ETS requirements by December 5. However, the testing requirements don’t apply until January 4, 2022. The ETS is extensive,...
The term leave can refer to just about any type of time away from work, but it’s often used to describe time an employee is entitled to take by law or company policy. Common leave entitlements include vacation, personal days, and sick days. Other forms include time...
We recommended addressing the performance issue with the employee as soon as possible. First, feedback is more effective the more quickly it’s delivered. Waiting to provide feedback increases the likelihood that the employee won’t remember what they did wrong and that they may make the same...