A Day in the Life: In-House Employment Attorney

Mia Montpas
Assistant General Counsel, Human Resources, Labor and Benefits
Honeywell International

8:15 a.m.: Handle a race discrimination allegation from a senior-level employee. Assess the issues and ultimately determine to bring in an independent investigator to handle. (Often I would investigate such an allegation myself, although this issue involves a situation where I am a witness so I cannot do it myself.)

10:30 a.m.: Counsel a human resource officer regarding a termination in Mexico of an employee for an integrity breach with a customer.

11:00 a.m.: Revise a letter to a pregnant employee. We're redefining her job duties due to her request to go part-time.

11:30 a.m.: Discuss a potential plant shut down of a site in South America.

1:15 p.m.: Discuss a performance management situation. Advise various human resources personnel of the need for documentation and due process (hearings, and so forth).

1:35 p.m.: Advise human resources personnel regarding an ADA and FMLA issue for an employee who had exhausted FMLA leave but still needs additional time off.

2:15 p.m.: Look at and research a short-term disability issue as it relates to an ongoing workers compensation case.

2:50 p.m.: Talk with outside counsel regarding a "whistleblower" case.

3:30 p.m.: Meet with the president about ongoing business and HR issues at a particular site.

4:10 p.m.: Discuss four ongoing grievances at one of our union sites. Selected arbitrators with the union.

4:45 p.m.: Discuss a bonus scheme for employees with HR personnel in our United Kingdom division.

5:30 p.m.: Research some sex discrimination and harassment issues for a financial employee.

6:00 p.m.: At the end of the day, I conduct performance management training for a group of managers.