A federal court has reinstated a Georgia police detective’s case against her employer after she produced evidence the police department regarded her as disabled when she was not.

As a recent case shows, employees with intermittent leave certifications for serious health conditions that may flare up from time to time are entitled to more time off than the estimate. Holding an employee strictly to the certification and terminating that employee for missing more work may backfire badly.

Title VII provides that employees are entitled to reasonable accommodations for their sincerely held religious beliefs and practices. But what is a sincerely held belief? And how far can employers go to challenge that assertion?

• Key elements of an effective investigation. Understand the core components of a thorough investigation and when it’s necessary to launch one.
• Triggering events. Learn which types of employee complaints and situations require immediate investigation and which can be resolved through other means.
• Legal obligations. Discover which employment laws mandate investigations and how to stay compliant.
• 10-step investigation process. Get a step-by-step guide to keep your inquiry on track from start to finish.
• Flowchart and documentation tools. Learn how to use a model investigation flowchart, templates and sample forms to streamline your process.
• Interviewing techniques. Plan and strategize each interview, implement a checklist and document findings accurately to build a solid investigation report.

As the White House deploys National Guard units to cities like Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., in increasing numbers, now is a good time for employers to review their obligations under two federal laws: the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals says the law was legally passed and that the Constitution did not require in-person voting.

As your organization’s eyes and ears, front-line managers and supervisors may be among the first to know if one of your employees has a substance-abuse problem or is under the influence of drugs or alcohol while at work. In most cases, employee substance abuse is neither a legal problem nor a moral issue that needs the company’s attention. However, substance abuse can pose a serious workplace safety risk, and it can cause attendance and productivity problems that demand action.

In most cases, managers must handle the initial response to team members’ substance-abuse issues—with help from HR, of course. This training is designed to provide the basic skills necessary to manage an employee’s suspected substance abuse.

We have a former employee in Florida who is requesting several things from her personnel file. I believe this is not a law in Florida, as it is in California, that we need to provide a former employee access to their file. Are we legally obligated to provide anything to this employee?

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Make sure that when you’re trying to determine whether a worker’s medical condition means he can’t perform his job safely, you don’t rely on preconceived notions about a particular disease or syndrome.