On March 10, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) issued guidance on forms of prohibited retaliation under various laws the agency enforces, including the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)...
Employment Law Letter
We visit the doctor and the optometrist once a year and our dentists at least twice a year. Why? We attend the appointments not because they’re necessarily fun but because they’re vital for maintaining good health and...
Good news! During these times of challenging recruitment, a viable applicant seems interested in your business. What’s the next step to set the hook? A job offer letter serves many purposes. It should enhance the...
Much has been said about the “Great Resignation,” the phenomenon of workers leaving without knowing when or if they’ll return to the workforce. Even though society has made progress adjusting to a new normal, many...
With reliable Wi-Fi as their best friend, more workers are hitting the road. And this far into the COVID-19 pandemic, employers and employees alike are letting a key lesson soak in: Workers don’t have to be tied to the...
Arbitration is a creature of agreement, and no right or obligation to arbitrate exists without a mutual agreement. Is an electronic acknowledgement on an employer’s web platform enough to prove the agreement? Is there an...
There has long been a conflict between California and the federal government over the topic of arbitration. Decades ago, arbitration was viewed as a win-win process providing the parties with a quicker and less expensive...
Sometimes it’s hard to know whether an employee has a “serious health condition” with remedies under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) or the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or a protected “disability”...
If you don’t give an employee required rest breaks or meal breaks, you must provide additional pay for each day with a missed break. But is that payment also a wage that needs to be reported on a pay stub and paid at...
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) under the Biden administration appears poised to reverse a Trump Board decision. The important underlying issue is whether blanket policies that require confidentiality in...
Q How far back are we allowed to verify information (both criminal and previous employer references) when conducting a background check? A Idaho and federal law permit you to obtain, with a signed release, a criminal...
Q How should we handle politics in the workplace? We've had one employee posting campaign stickers and another taking them down. A It depends on what state you’re in. In Connecticut, a state law makes it unlawful for...
In a unique case involving ownership and access to social media accounts, the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals (which handles federal appeals from Connecticut) recently enforced a noncompete agreement against one of a...
Q How are “wages” determined for covered employees for Colorado’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act (FAMLI) program premium assessment? A Wages reportable to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s...
The New Jersey Appellate Division recently upheld a trial court’s dismissal of a former bartender’s hostile work environment and gender discrimination claims partly on the grounds she partook in the “pejorative language...