It’s a good idea to keep careful track of the reasons why employees take FMLA leave—especially if an employee takes leave on different occasions for different reasons.

Sometimes, it’s unclear whether an employee’s medical bills are related to a workplace injury. Now there’s a bit of good news if you wind up having to cover those bills.

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit accusing the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts and N.C. Superior Court Judge Jerry Braswell of violating former Magistrate James Myles’ rights under USERRA.

When workers at Republic Windows & Doors in Chicago were given three days’ notice in December that the plant was closing, they staged a sit-in at the shuttered factory to demand severance pay and benefits. Republic told employees that Bank of America had canceled its financing ...

Q. We do not believe that one of our employees is keeping accurate time records of her work. Can we pay her what we believe she worked instead of what her time records show?

Cheaper child care is increasingly necessary as budgets tighten, says Lisa Belkin, a New York Times reporter who covers workplace issues. Here are some of the creative ways working families are reducing the costs.

From surveys of employees' lifelong dreams to alumni reunions to baby showers for moms-to-be, here's a rundown of seven innovative benefits practices employers are using to reward and retain the staff they need. They're compiled from the popular "What's Working" pages of HR Specialist's Compensation & Benefits newsletter.

What happens if an employer discourages an employee from taking FMLA leave and instead offers more than 12 weeks off with full pay? Can the employee still sue for interference with his right to FMLA leave if he isn't reinstated to his prior position or an equivalent? The apparent answer is "yes."

Philadelphia-based CIGNA has instituted a complete smoking ban at all of its 179 properties, effective April 1.

Q. We conduct yearly performance evaluations, during which we review whether employees have met expectations. If an employee fails to meet those expectations, can we legally decrease the employee's salary?

Q. One of our employees is over age 70 and has recently had memory problems and a car wreck. What (if anything) can we do to protect ourselves from potential workers' comp claims should he injure himself?

Q. One of our employees who normally reports to another facility has been out on workers' comp and is now doing light duty in the office. Getting here adds an extra hour to his commute. I know we don't have to pay for his commuting time, but what about his travel expenses?

Q. An employee has been subpoenaed to appear as a witness in a criminal case. Are we required to pay him for that time, or can we have him take vacation time or an unpaid leave of absence?

A California appeals court has overturned a large punitive damages jury award in a case involving underpaid wages and missed meal and break periods. Had the court upheld the awards, employers would have had a whole new reason to lose sleep over inaccurate payroll records.

California’s Labor Code provides substantial protection for hourly workers by requiring that their employers offer meal breaks during long shifts. But what happens if you tell employees when to take their meal breaks, and they don’t?