giddy.jpgAs a management side attorney, I love when FMLA cases provide real, practical takeaways for employers that help them better administer FMLA leave.  Yesterday was one of those days, as a federal court took a plaintiff to task for: 1) failing to provide timely FMLA medical certification; and 2) failing to make a good faith

fired1.jpgAs a labor and employment attorney, I spend a significant amount of time counseling employers as they prepare to terminate an employee.  Often enough, the situation goes something like this:

My operations people want to terminate Fred.  He has flown off the handle one too many times, and now, we think we caught him misreporting his time

soup nazi.jpgLast week, I responded to an FAQ that often arises for employers when administering the Family and Medical Leave Act: How do employers count unexcused absences when an employee does not return medical certification

Here’s a real life application of this question:  Kimberly Miedema was an employee of Spectrum Catering, and after having claimed

when-is-enough-plenty-orange.jpgIn light of the EEOC’s litigation over automatic termination provisions under the ADA (we’ve beaten you over the head with it here and here), employers generally feel as though they have no clue as to their legal obligations when it comes to providing a leave of absence as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA

fired.jpgRemember a few months back when I warned employers to be wary of eliminating the position of an employee who days earlier requested several weeks off for surgery?

Let me take that advice one step further: if an employee informs you that she needs leave to undergo a hysterectomy, don’t tell the employee it’s “not