May 26, 2015
Registration Deadline is June 1 for Employment Law Update
Tom Jacobson
The registration deadline for the Twelfth Annual West Central Minnesota Employment Law Update is June 1. Seating for the June 11, 2015 event is limited, so please register soon if you plan to attend.
For more details and registration forms, please see Registration Open for Twelfth Annual West Central MN Employment Law Update, or contact me at taj@alexandriamnlaw.com or 320-763-3141.
I hope to see you on June 11!
Copyright 2015 Swenson Lervick Syverson Trosvig Jacobson Schultz, PA
April 17, 2015
Registration Open for Twelfth Annual West Central MN Employment Law Update
Tom Jacobson
Registration is now open for the Twelfth Annual West Central Minnesota Employment Law Update to be held Thursday, June 11, 2015. The event is sponsored by West Central Minnesota SHRM, and it will be held at Alexandria Technical and Community College.
The morning session is designed to inform employers about developing areas of employment law, and it will be presented by four attorneys who practice extensively in that area of the law: Tom Jacobson, Mike Moberg, Sara McGrane and Penelope Phillips. Topics for this year’s event will include:
- An update on significant employment law developments since last year’s event
- How to apply the myriad of leave / time off entitlements required by Minnesota law
- What to do when the ADA, FMLA and worker’s compensation collide due to an employee’s medical condition
- Legal traps in recruiting
The afternoon session will feature award-winning speaker Andy Masters. Masters is an award-winning author and international speaker who provides attendees with not only a memorable multi-media experience, but also immediate “take-home” value for all levels of HR leadership to help them develop and empower a workforce of future leaders.
Click on the following links for more information and the registration form:
- 2015 Employment Law Update Registration
- 2015 Employment Law Update Agenda
- Andy Masters, HR Leadership in the New Economy
Comments from prior years:
- “Great event!”
- “Excellent – would highly recommend!”
- “I go to several conferences/seminars every year & this is the most informative of all. Plus, the group is open & friendly — very nice! Thank you!”
- “Overall — great day & worth the time!”
- “Excellent program for the price.”
Contact me at taj@alexandriamnlaw.com or 320-763-3141 if you need more information. We hope you can join us on June 11!
Copyright 2015 Swenson Lervick Syverson Trosvig Jacobson Schultz, PA
March 20, 2015
Save the Date for Twelfth Annual West Central MN Employment Law Update
The twelfth annual West Central Minnesota Employment Law Update will be held Thursday, June 11, 2015 at Alexandria Technical and Community College. The morning session is designed to inform employers about developing areas of employment law, and it will be presented by four attorneys who practice extensively in that area of the law: Tom Jacobson, Mike Moberg, Sara McGrane and Penelope Phillips. Topics for this year’s event will include:
- An update on significant employment law developments since last year’s event
- How to apply the myriad of leave / time off entitlements required by Minnesota law
- What to do when the ADA, FMLA and worker’s compensation collide due to an employee’s medical condition
- Legal traps in recruiting
The afternoon session will feature award-winning speaker Andy Masters.
Comments from prior years:
- “Great event!”
- “Excellent – would highly recommend!”
- “I go to several conferences/seminars every year & this is the most informative of all. Plus, the group is open & friendly — very nice! Thank you!”
- “Overall — great day & worth the time!”
- “Excellent program for the price.”
We hope you can join us on June 11! Stay tuned for registration, agenda and other details.
Copyright 2015 Swenson Lervick Syverson Trosvig Jacobson Schultz, PA
March 26, 2014
Save the date!
The eleventh annual West Central Minnesota Employment Law Update will be held Thursday, June 12, 2014 at Alexandria Technical and Community College. The morning session of the event is designed to inform employers about developing areas of employment law, and it will be presented by four attorneys who practice extensively in that area of the law: Tom Jacobson, Mike Moberg and Penelope Phillips.
The afternoon session will feature Ted Schick, who will educate and entertain with his presentation, “Recruit, Motivate and Retain Your Workforce.”
Comments from last year’s event:
- “I attend yearly and look forward to it! Thanks!”
- “I go to several conferences/seminars every year & this is the most informative of all. Plus, the group is open & friendly — very nice! Thank you!”
- “Overall — great day & worth the time!”
- “Excellent program for the price.”
We hope you can join us on June 12! Stay tuned for registration, agenda and other details.
Copyright 2014 Swenson Lervick Syverson Trosvig Jacobson Schultz, PA
August 31, 2011
Better late than never? Employee wins unemployment claim after two month absence
In a case that proves that things are not always as they seem, a Minnesota employee has been awarded unemployment benefits despite her failure to report to work for two months.
The case, Genemo v. Donatelle Plastics, Inc., involves Hawi Genemo who was employed by Donatelle Plastics, Inc. After learning that her mother was seriously ill in a remote area of Africa, Genemo requested and was granted a leave of absence to visit and care for her mother. The leave was to run from April 21 to May 19, 2010, and she was also told she could request additional time off if needed.
Unfortunately, while in Africa Genemo encountered civil unrest and a lack of mail, electricity, phone service and Internet. Thus, she was unable to contact Donatelle about her situation. Because of the lack of contact, Donatelle discharged her effective May 27, 2010. Genemo returned in July, 2010.
Genemo was initially disqualified from unemployment benefits on the basis that her failure to keep in contact with her employer was employment misconduct. The Minnesota Court of Appeals disagreed. Relying on Minn. Stat. § 268.095, Subd. 6(b)(8), the court noted that it is not employment misconduct when an employee is absent “with proper notice to the employer, in order to provide necessary care because of the illness, injury, or disability of an immediate family member of the applicant.” Because the initial notice was proper and because further notice was deemed “impractical if not impossible,” the court ruled that even though Donatelle’s decision was reasonable, Genemo’s absence and failure to contact Donatelle was not employment misconduct, so she was deemed eligible for unemployment benefits.
The case reminds us that things are not always as they seem. Here, the employee’s unique circumstances fit within a narrow exception in Minnesota’s unemployment statute. The lesson is that jumping to conclusions about an employee’s situation can lead to costly litigation.
For more information about this article, please contact me at taj@alexandriamnlaw.com.
Copyright 2011 Swenson Lervick Syverson Trosvig Jacobson, PA
Human Resource Legal Resource 