We have all heard about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). But one of the biggest questions I get from my clients is "how to comply with the regulations in order to avoid litigation?" Unfortunately, ADA continues to be a liability for employers with 15 or more employees because it presents complex requirements for employers in working with and managing employees with disabilities.

Every employer has to deal with staff leaving. Sometimes it’s best for the employee to move on whether it’s for family reasons or because he or she wants to grow professionally. Sometimes, you may find that you have a few challenges going on internally. Nonetheless, as the manager, you should ensure your employee’s offboarding process is as smooth as possible. A successful offboarding can not only benefit you, but the exiting employee as well. Let’s explore a few of strategies that will ensure a successful offboarding- starting with the opportunity to receive feedback.

If you live anywhere in the region you may have noticed the Girl Scouts cookie booths at the entrance to every grocery store taking place now. If by some small chance you haven’t seen one at your local supermarket, I am sure someone in your office has the cookie form and is helping out with orders on behalf of their daughter, granddaughter, or their niece. Other similar types of fundraisers or sales that may be occurring in your office include popcorn sales for Boy Scouts, jewelry such as Silpada, and/or beauty products like Mary Kay or Avon. While we all love the opportunity to support our colleagues and communities, the larger your business grows, the more frequent these "in-office solicitations" can occur. If you are concerned about this becoming a disruption to your business, you may want to consider setting a precedent before the flood gates open.

At some point or another while running your business, you unfortunately will likely need to let someone go, also referred to as a separation or termination of employment. Typically, businesses run into these reasons because either they are cutting costs or have someone performing poorly at their job. Majority of states across the nation, are at-will, meaning they have the right to separate employment at any time. However there are some caveats, therefore your Human Resources team should always keep detailed records to justify the decision to ensure that employee’s rights are not violated and to ensure all federal and state laws are followed during the process.

Recently, a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Regional Director ruled that an employer failed to comply with a requirement to provide available employee contact information to the union prior to an election, thereby resulting in an order to hold a second election (Danbury Hospital, 01-RC-153086). Although the ruling in such a pro-union political climate was not entirely unexpected, the result is still a cause of concern for employers, in part because of the “quickie” election rule implemented this past April.