What are the rights and duties of employees and employers? Ongoing training is of course an essential part of being a manager in today's legal climate. But what do you do between classes? What if you want a refresher right now?? While you should always consult with an in-house expert or your own attorney if you want an answer to a specific legal question, sometimes you may just want to learn a little more about a specific topic or area of the law.

At left you can link to workplace issue overview pages where subscribers can access our large library of Ask the Lawyer and eNews articles going back to 1996. Below we list the many FAQs that are covered there.

Business Ethics

• What is an employee's duty of loyalty?
• How do we protect intellectual property?
• What are the rights and responsibilities in hiring?
• What are our ethical responsibilites?
• What are the rights and responsibilities of whistleblowers?

Harassment

• What is illegal harassment?
• What is NOT illegal?
• What are our responsibilities as management/HR?
• What are the California Harassment Compliance Training Regulations?
• What are my rights & responsibilities as a victim of harassment?
• What are my rights as a person accused?
• How are harassment cases resolved by the legal system?
• What did the Buddha say about sexual harassment?

Discrimination

• What are the rights of members of Armed Forces?
• When is it age discrimination?
• When is it sex or pregnancy discrimination?
• When is it race or national origin discrimination?
• When is it religious discrimination?
• When is it sexual orientation discrimination?
• When is discrimination legal?
• What procedures prevent discrimination?
• When must managers pay damages or attorneys fees?

Disability Law

• What are rights under Americans with Disabilities Act?
• What are rights under Family & Medical Leave Act
• What are rights of pregnant employees?
• What are rights under workers compensation?
• What are rights to a safe work environment?
• What are rights for PTO and sick pay?

FMLA - Family Medical Leave Act

• What are employee rights under Family & Medical Leave Act
• What are manager rights under Family & Medical Leave Act
• What are rights under state family leave laws?
• What are leave rights for military families?

Internet, Email and Social Media

• What are legal issues created by the internet?
• What are legal issues created by e-mail?
• What are legal issues created by social networks?
• What are legal issues created by cellphones?

Wrongful Termination

• When is a firing discriminatory?
• What is good cause for firing?
• What is proper procedure for firing or demoting?
• When and how is an investigation conducted?
• What are layoff rights and duties?
• What are rights in performance appraisals?
• What are rights in hiring and references?
• When can employees quit and sue?

Overtime/Contractors

• Is your job properly exempt?
• How many hours can employees be forced to work?
• What are the rights to lunch, breaks, vacations and holidays?
• What are the rights to sick pay and PTO?
• What are the rights of hourly employees?
• What are employees owed when they leave?
• What are proper pay and time keeping procedures?
• What are the rules for independent contractors and temps?
• What are employee rights to benefits?

Privacy Policies

• What workplace information is private?
• Is there free speech at work?
• Are grooming and dress codes legal?
• What are privacy rights for drug and alcohol?
• Can employer act based on employee's private life?

Retaliaton

• What is illegal retaliation?
• Who is protected from illegal retaliation?
• What are our responsibilities as management/HR?

Still have a question?? Go to Ask the Lawyers and see if it has already been answered, or send us one of your own inquiries.