Employment Law Letter

Legal risks Massachusetts employers face as they resume operations

With nonessential businesses resuming operations across the country, employers are facing difficult new issues as employees try to get back to work. Below are some of the legal pitfalls facing employers in Massachusetts...

May 31, 2020 · Employment Law Letter · New England · Massachusetts

Are oral settlements worth the paper they are not written on?

In an interesting case, the Maryland District Court dismissed an oral settlement on the grounds it was void under the Maryland Statute of Frauds provision. Let’s take a closer look. Background A group of employees...

May 31, 2020 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

Must Maine employers provide compensation for COVID-19 temperature checks?

In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is permitting employers to take employees’ temperatures, administer COVID-19 tests, and otherwise screen employees for symptoms...

Face coverings at work: OSHA considerations

In mid-April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended Americans wear cloth face coverings in public because of the coronavirus outbreak. Several jurisdictions followed suit, including Rhode...

No FMLA retaliation because employee failed to meet monthly deadlines

A worker fired for failing to complete required monthly reports in a timely manner cannot continue with her Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) claims, a federal court in Louisiana recently ruled. The court found she had...

Q - A: Paying an exempt employee for work outside his normal duties

Q If an exempt employee is asked to help on a proposal (not part of his normal job duties) and he expected to be compensated but wasn't, is that an issue? Someone also asked him to track his time. Can we pay him a bonus...

Q - A: Multiple compaint reporting avenues can help avoid liability

Q Can an employee bypass her supervisor and go straight to HR just because she has been written up previously? Although the question of whether an employee can bypass a supervisor to lodge a complaint with HR seems...

May 31, 2020 · Employment Law Letter · California · New York · Texas · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

Reviewing OSHA's guidance for employers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Over the last few months, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has provided guidance addressing workplace safety concerns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In April alone, OSHA released...

5 workplace policies to revise or add because of COVID-19

If you're like most businesses, you're eager to reopen or return to "normal" operations as soon as possible. But before you reopen your offices and businesses—and perhaps while you have some extra time on your hands—it's...

May 31, 2020 · Employment Law Letter · Texas

Legal risks to weigh before making telework permanent

With Texas workplaces reopening for business, many employers are evaluating whether temporary telecommuting policies can work in the long term for some employees. There are many reasons telecommuting may be a desired...

May 31, 2020 · Employment Law Letter · Texas

EEO-1 survey put off until 2021, but don't toss your data

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced it won't require private-sector employers to submit EEO-1 data this year. But don't throw away your 2019 data Ordinarily...

May 31, 2020 · Employment Law Letter · Texas

500-day journey to the new normal at work

I hope all of you are safe and secure, wherever you are working or sheltering. With our persistent joint efforts and with all the help we can get, we will get through the coronavirus crisis. When will America's...

Safety tips to reopen business, get back to normal

Across the country, states are beginning to reopen from lockdowns imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like the shutdowns themselves, the reopenings will vary from state to state in terms of timing and scope. Regardless...

11th Circuit clarifies standard for retaliatory hostile work environment claims

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals (whose rulings cover employers in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama) has issued a decision clarifying the standard for determining when someone...

Wrestling with paid sick leave for both parents when schools close for pandemic

With schools closed for the COVID-19 pandemic, both parents in two-parent households may want to stay home while shelter-in-place orders are in effect. Will they be eligible for monetary relief and protection under new...

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Employment Law Letter

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