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January 2015 Archives

Does the law protect against sexual harassment?

Sexual harassment is commonly discussed in the media, but many employees may not have a complete understanding of what kinds of actions constitute sexual harassment or the laws that protect against sexual harassment. Under the law, any kind of harassment that is based on or due to a person's sex is classified as sexual harassment and is unlawful.

Understanding the Fair Labor Standards Act

In the workplace, the employers tend to have the upper hand. Employees need to maintain their employment in order to pay their bills, provide for their basic needs and take care of their families. Employers, knowing how much employees rely on and need their employment, may attempt to take advantage of employees in certain situations. For this reason, the federal government has passed certain laws, such as the Fair Labor Standards Act, that help protect employee rights.

Statistics about pornography and sexual harassment at work

When many Washington, D.C. residents think about sexual harassment, they may not think about sexually explicit materials that may constitute harassment. This could be many things, but generally, sexually explicit materials are photos, or anything similar, -- of pornographic nature. These images are not allowed in the workplace. Despite this, some employees do engage in inappropriate online activity during work hours.

Victory for senior executive in wrongful termination case

In the employment context, employers generally hold the majority of the power and have the upper hand. This does not mean that employees do not have rights, but enforcing those rights sometimes requires a legal battle, as is often the case with wrongful termination. Although employers have a great deal of discretion in hiring and firing decisions, they can take actions that constitute discrimination or other forms of wrongful discharge and their allegations justifying the termination should be supported by evidence.

New year of office socials is coming. Are you ready for issues?

The holidays are over. How did you fare? As we have noted previously, holiday times can create some tricky situations, especially when it comes to office partying. Considering that 2015 with all its holidays is upon us, and that office social events may not be limited to celebrations just around those times, perhaps it might be a good time to revisit the issue in a bit more depth.

Employees have rights in wage and hour disputes

In many workplace situations, the employer has the upper hand. The employer is often the one who decides when and if the employment will end and the employer has the power of pay over the employee. However, there are wage laws, including minimum wage, that help protect the rights of employees. Before an employee can effectively exercise those rights, however, the employee must be aware of those rights.

