Articles and Blogs

On September 5, 2018, the Michigan Legislature voted to approve the Earned Sick Time Act (the “Act”), the Midwest’s first statewide paid sick and safe time law.[1] The Act requires employers to provide employees with earned sick time, up to 72 hours per year, for certain covered reasons, such as mental or physical illness... READ MORE

The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recently issued three new opinion letters, the first new opinion letters published since 2010. Opinion letters are, according to the Department of Labor, “an official, written opinion by the Wage and Hour Division of how a particular law applies in specific circumstances presented by an employer,... READ MORE

Too often employers have reservations or concerns about employees’ misuse of FMLA leave and fail to act in response. A recent holding in a federal court case serves as a reminder to employers that if they have an “honest belief” that employee FMLA misuse has occurred, they may have a certain defense to retaliation... READ MORE

We’ve blogged in the past about employees caught sleeping on the job. Most employers would say that an employee who is caught sleeping on the job will usually end up getting fired, and that is usually fine! However, where that employee suffers from a disability or a serious health condition, an employer will need... READ MORE

On January 20, 2016, the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) released Administrator’s Interpretation an  concerning joint employment under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). The interpretation identifies common scenarios in which two or more employers jointly employ an employee and are thus jointly and severally liable for compliance. It provides... READ MORE

Take a look at the FMLA forms you are now using and glance at the top right corner where you will see an OMB Control Number.  Just below that number, what does the expiration date say?  A safe bet is that the form you are using has expired!  But, all is not lost as the... READ MORE

On February 25, 2015, we reported  the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) had announced a Final Rule to update existing FMLA regulations, which would provide eligible employees in same-sex marriages the same rights and protections under the FMLA as employees in opposite-sex marriages currently enjoy. The Final Rule was scheduled to take effect March... READ MORE

Providing notice to employees utilizing FMLA can be difficult. Unfortunately, it’s only getting worse. A federal court recently decided  the issue of whether an employer, by informing an employee of the FMLA recertification requirement via email, gave proper notice. Although the employer previously sent FMLA notices to the employee via email, the court found... READ MORE

On February 23, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a rule change to be issued February 25, 2015 that ensures that all eligible employees in same-sex marriages will enjoy the same rights and protections under the Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) as employees in opposite-sex marriages. READ MORE

As the EEOC continues to focus on the use of unpaid leave beyond policy limits as a potential reasonable accommodation and employees continue to request leave extensions, I am frequently asked: “How do I know when enough is enough?”  Unfortunately, the determination of an undue hardship is a factual issue, and the only way... READ MORE