On-the-job injuries can be stressful for everyone who was involved or witnessed an accident. But no matter how upsetting or time-consuming the situation, employers must remember to fill out the paperwork afterwards for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Under a new law, employers who are already covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (50 or more employees) may need to expand their list of employees who qualify for unpaid time off, and the amount of unpaid time that employees can take off has more than doubled in some cases.

For people who have even heard of it, “fiduciary duty” is usually a term reserved for bankers, chief financial officers, and members of boards of directors. However, all employees owe a duty of loyalty to the organizations they work for, even if they do not handle money or make major decisions.

Amid a faltering economy, and with primaries for the 2008 elections now in process, the political landscape grows more uncertain for businesses and employers. In the coming months, four issues currently under consideration in Congress loom particularly large because of their potential impact on companies.

Despite revisions to the Fair Labor Standards Act in 2004, determining how to properly classify workers remains an ongoing struggle for many companies. That is evident from the amount of money the U.S. Department of Labor has collected from businesses that failed to properly compensate their employees for overtime.

If your employee is involved in an accident while working, you can be held liable. Where a company knew or had a reason to know that a driver of its commercial vehicles could create a risk of harm to others, it creates a “negligent entrustment.” And the stakes can be high.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently weighed in with new guidelines outlining how working parents or those caring for elderly parents may be able to claim discrimination in the workplace. The guidance indicates that employers must take extra care when dealing with caregivers.

Severance agreements have been challenged in some recent court cases, particularly agreements that require employees to waive their right to file an administrative charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).