Employers who follow their own policies regarding vacation time are usually safe. But here’s a case where a court forced an employer to make the payment to an employee who was fired for conduct — even though the company’s policy said he wasn’t owed anything.

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Tags: gross misconduct, handbook, paid leave, vacation

Earlier this month, the House of Representatives held a hearing on a bill that would make offering paid sick leave mandatory for employers.

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Tags: Healthy Families Act, HFA, mandatory paid sick leave, Obama

Should employees get workers’ compensation benefits when they develop health problems caused by job-related stress? Yes, according to one court.

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Tags: disability benefits, heart attack, worker's comp

Companies need to continue paying for employees’ healthcare coverage while they’re on FMLA leave. But can you recover any of that cost if an employee decides not to come back?

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Tags: FMLA, health premiums, return to work

Many companies require employees to use paid sick time concurrently with FMLA leave. But if employees are disciplined based on how much sick time they use, does that discriminate against employees who’ve taken leave?

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Tags: FMLA, paid leave, sick days

Legal experts are still trying to comb their way through the 1,079-page American Recovery and Reinvestment Act President Obama signed into law last month. And deep in the document, they’re finding several provisions that will have a big impact on HR.

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Tags: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, bail-out, COBRA, HIPAA, Obama, stimulus

Employees on FMLA can’t be denied any benefit they earned before taking leave. But what does the law say about employees on leave accruing benefits that are based on hours worked?

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Tags: benefits, FMLA, leave, vacation

It’s possible to terminate employees while they’re on medical leave — but extreme caution is needed. Here’s how one company did it and avoided legal trouble:

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Tags: firing, health benefits, returning from FMLA leave

Many employers choose to have leave policies that are more generous than what the FMLA requires. But as a recent case shows, that doesn’t mean those companies are immune to lawsuits.

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Tags: FMLA, paid leave, returning from FMLA leave

The latest trend in benefits law: mandatory leave for victims of domestic and sexual abuse.

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Tags: domestic abuse, Philadelphia, unpaid leave