What would you do if you were on a job interview, and the interviewer asked you for your Facebook password? While it may seem like an absurd question, anecdotal evidence shows that this situation is occurring more frequently.

Earlier this year, reports started popping up all over the Internet of job seekers being asked for their Facebook log-in information by interviewers. This development has justifiably been very alarming to job seekers. It has been compared to a company asking a prospective employee for their house key so they could snoop around their house.

Facebook has always had a feeling of privacy, even as you are sharing some of your most intimate thoughts on the Internet. You have control over who you want to add as a “friend” and what information you want to remain private. If you don’t want someone to see your posts or your pictures on Facebook, all you have to do is set your privacy settings so only your friends can see them. (more…)

Retail giant Wal-Mart will pay thousands of employees for unpaid overtime after a federal probe. The Ohio employment law attorneys at Elk & Elk want you to know your rights as an employee.

This week, retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. agreed to pay nearly $5 million in back wages and damages to thousands of employees, including more than 200 Ohio workers, for unpaid overtime. The retailer made the move after a probe by the U.S. Department of Labor found that the company had violated a federal law governing overtime pay. The company also will pay nearly $500,000 in civil fines.

The Labor Department probe discovered that Wal-Mart failed to pay overtime to certain employees because it considered them to be exempt from overtime requirements, although they were in fact not exempt.

A Wal-Mart spokesperson said the case involved employees serving as Asset Protection Coordinators, who are owed an average of $290 each, and Vision Center Managers, who are owed an average of $2,300. The company also claimed it has already adjusted its pay practices and determined that back wages were due 3,700 employees in those two positions. (more…)

Accidents are a deadly reality for construction workers. The workers’ compensation attorneys at Elk & Elk can help if you’ve been injured on the job.

Industrial worksites are inherently dangerous places for Ohio workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 156 fatal workplace accidents in Ohio in 2010, up nearly 14 percent from 2009. Nationwide, fatal accidents on construction sites were down nearly 10 percent in 2010 and nearly 40 percent since 2006. However, the industry still reported more than 700 fatalities nationwide in 2010.

Just this week, a Barberton, Ohio, man was killed at a construction site in Kent when he was crushed between a backhoe and a stack of concrete slabs. According to news reports, the 49-year-old was working at the transportation center being built by the Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed more than four decades ago to protect workers from unnecessary injuries and requires companies to provide a safe work environment for their employees.

If a worker is injured because of an OSHA violation, they may be eligible for a workers’ compensation claim. However, employers often can try to deny or challenge a workers’ compensation claim, making it very important for an injured victim to speak with an experienced, qualified workers’ compensation attorney.

You should consult with an attorney if:

• The employer denies you were injured on the job
• The insurance carrier has denied you benefits
• You cannot get the medical treatment you need
• You aren’t getting paid
• A lawyer for the insurance company wants to take a deposition

The workers’ compensation attorneys at Elk & Elk have been handling the most serious work-related injuries for nearly five decades, helping our clients receive the compensation they deserve. If you or someone you know has been the victim of a workplace accident, you need to be aware of your rights. The workers’ compensation attorneys at Elk & Elk can help you determine the benefits to which you have legal rights. Call 1-800-ELK-OHIO today.

Construction accidents are some of the most common causes of workplace injuries and fatalities. Learn more about the recent series of casino construction accidents reported in Ohio.

Construction workers have some of the highest rate of workplace accidents and injuries, statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show.  Although construction saw a drop in fatal workplace injuries in 2009, the industry still reported about 834 fatalities that year.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires construction site owners, contractors, machine manufacturers and managers to provide a safe work environment for employees. However, according to the Ohio workers’ compensation attorneys at Elk & Elk, in many cases, construction workplace injuries and fatalities are the result of unsafe work conditions, lack of training and dangerous equipment. (more…)

Work-related injuries, illnesses exceed $250 billion annually. If you were injured on the job, an Ohio injury lawyer at Elk & Elk can help you file a workers’ compensation claim.

Work-related injuries and illnesses cost the U.S. about $250 billion every year, a new study shows. That’s $31 billion more than the direct and indirect costs of all cancers, $76 billion more than diabetes and $187 more than the costs of strokes.

Rates of workplace injuries are much higher than people assume. In fact, data shows workplace injuries and illnesses have increased over the past two decades and they continue to grow, the Ohio workers’ compensation lawyers at Elk & Elk said.

“It’s unfortunate that occupational health doesn’t get the attention it deserves,” said study author J. Paul Leigh, in an MSN article. Leigh is a professor of public health sciences at the University of California, Davis. “The costs are enormous and continue to grow. And the potential for health risks are high, given that most people between the ages 22 to 65 spend 40 percent of their waking hours at work.” (more…)