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Ask Rita: How Do We Handle a Supervisor Whose Way of Treating Employees Is Causing Them to Quit?
Dear Rita, Last year we hired a senior-level employee to fill a role that had previously been like a revolving door. This employee has done good work for us all along, in a position serving an important function in our organization. As a result, …
Ask Rita: An Employee Took Our Confidential Information for Their Own Personal Use and Won’t Give it Back—What Can We Do?
Dear Rita, We’re in a disturbing situation that we never had to deal with before. Our agency generates a considerable amount of intellectual property and computer data that we designate as proprietary and confidential. Recently, it became necessary to …
Ask Rita: How Do I Navigate Requests for Religious Exemptions from a Requirement to Receive the Covid-19 Vaccine?
Dear Rita, With availability of Covid-19 vaccines, we, like many employers, opted to implement a voluntary vaccine policy, along with strong incentives for and encouragement of employees to get vaccinated. Then, the effectiveness of the vaccine became …
Ask Rita: We Have Decided on an In-House Investigation—Now, How Do We Do It?
Last month, we discussed the factors to consider in making the decision to conduct a workplace investigation in-house, or to retain an outside investigator. If you decide that an in-house investigation is appropriate, this article is for you. Approachi …
Ask Rita: Workplace Discrimination Investigations–Do We Need to Hire an External Professional?
Dear Rita, We are a social service nonprofit that has, at this point, 35 employees. Until now, we have had a very good—some might say remarkable—history of maintaining good employee relations, with no complaints for discrimination or harassment in the …
Ask Rita: FFCRA Paid Leaves 2021—Help!
Dear Rita, In March of last year, when the pandemic hit, we spent a lot of time implementing the required Covid-19-related paid leaves of absence. We drafted leave forms and gave notice to our employees of the right to take these leaves, and we are ver …
Ask Rita: Recording Conversations in the Workplace—Do I Have to Put Up with This?
Dear Rita: We recently met with an employee who has had a long history of not performing their job responsibilities as expected and of showing reluctance to accept our guidance to improve and meet expectations. At this meeting, we planned to give the e …
Re-Opening After Covid-19: What Nonprofits Need to Know about Reasonable Accommodation of Employees with Disabilities
Although the number of Covid-19 cases varies throughout the United States, nonprofit leaders are undoubtedly eager to re-open organizations and get back to business. While many continue to allow some staff to work remotely, others choose to or must hav …
Ask Rita: We Can Require Employees to Receive the Covid-19 Vaccine—But Should We?
Dear Rita, Our nonprofit has several employees who provide a variety of direct services personally to our clients, in our offices as well as other locations. We have taken great measures since the pandemic struck to protect both our clients and our emp …
New York Nonprofit Employees Get Additional Paid Sick and Safe Leave Rights, Part 2
New York State’s Paid Sick/Safe Leave Law (“NYSPSSL”) took effect on September 30, 2020. NYSPSSL, which amends New York State Labor Law (Section 196-b), requires all employers in New York State (nonprofit and for-profit organizations, alike)—regardles …
