With the Columbus Day holiday upon us, it’s time for another installment of "Quick Hits" where I touch on posts and topics of interest that you might have missed recently. Take note of the last post to "Outwit. Outplay. Outlast."
- The GT LE Blog has an interesting post on whether obesity is a physical characteristic or a physical impairment. This issue has important implications as to whether it is a covered condition under the ADA. This is particularly noteworthy because the EEOC recently filed a lawsuit against an employer indicating that obesity was covered under the ADA. For more on that lawsuit, see this recent post by the Ohio Employer’s Law Blog.
- Kane Bennett, who blogs over at the Connecticut Business Litigation Blog, has a post about whether it is legal for employers to go fishing on Facebook for information.
- The Word on Employment Law has done a 50 state survey on voting rights. If you’re an employer concerned about what the law is for the upcoming elections and whether you need to give your employees time off (or paid time off), this is a good place to start. Connecticut employers should be aware, though, of a particular law that prohibits them from influencing employees in voting.
- With all the requirements that the FMLA details, there’s an interesting case (via FMLA Insights Blog) in which the employee’s claims fail because she failed to comply with the employer’s call-in procedures. It’s a good lesson that employers can still require employees to follow certain procedures for FMLA leave.
- For those Connecticut employers with Massachusetts employees, the new BLEG blog discusses amendments to Massachusetts Personnel Records law. Basically, the employer needs to provide notice to employees of any negative information placed into a personnel file.
- And finally, the DRI blog has a fun post about what employers can learn from the television show, "Survivor". As someone who has watched many seasons of the show, this was a creative way to note some important Department of Labor developments.