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Dear Handbook: Is it cool if I spray air fresheners to mask my co-worker’s obnoxious chronic body odor?

Image Credit: Photofunia.com
For Amber Bridges, a former City of Indianapolis employee, it allegedly got her fired. Continue reading

Image Credit: Photofunia.com
For Amber Bridges, a former City of Indianapolis employee, it allegedly got her fired. Continue reading

Image Credit: Photofunia.com
The title of this blog post is somewhat misleading.
Yes, this post combines cars and employment law. But, more than anything, it was just an excuse to use this cool image, play The Cars – a song called “Drive,” no less – and say, “Dude, where’s my car?”
You’ll see what I mean. Continue reading
For those of you who work in HR, what do you do when you learn that an employee has filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act?
Raise your hand if the answer is not publicizing details of the charge, including the employee’s name, union affiliation, and information about the medical restrictions on his ability to work, in a letter to 146 members of his union local. Continue reading
A few years ago, one of my colleagues emailed me and asked if I would review a particular question on a client’s job application. Specifically, the client wanted to know whether a certain health-related inquiry was something the client could do before extending a conditional offer of employment.
Well, not only was this particular question unlawful, so were the other four I found on the job application. They all violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. Every. Damn. One.
But, was this an anomaly? If we drained the ADA-noncompliance swamp, would we only find this employer?
My bottles of Drakkar Noir and left arm adorned in shiny Rowleckses says, “No.” Continue reading
As the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s fiscal year comes to a close, the agency has filed a slew of discrimination lawsuits. One that caught my eye involves an employer that allegedly rescinded an offer of employment once it found out that the individual was using prescription drugs to treat his prior heroin addiction.
Wait a minute! Can’t you terminate someone who has abused drugs? Continue reading
That’s because, last week, a federal appellate court held that long-term medical leave is not a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Continue reading
Is this the face of a company that would fire an employee who was on leave receiving treatment for breast cancer rather than granting her request for additional leave for more treatment?
Yes indeed according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Continue reading
Well, maybe not in those words exactly. But, the judge did have some scathing words for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s take on wellness-program incentives. Continue reading