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Employees stressed? Learn how to make a time-off policy work

As the end of the year nears, employees’ memories of summer vacations may be giving way to plans to schedule time off for the holidays. While some workers are diligent about planning the time off they need to avoid...

Oct 10, 2023 · Employment Law Letter · 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

The office is back! (Or is it?) Today’s workers want more from the workplace

It’s the second half of 2023, and COVID fears have largely eased. But the debate still rages about the best environment for getting work done. Some employers are requiring people to return to the office full time—and...

Oct 10, 2023 · Employment Law Letter · 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

I-9 verification just got easier

On August 1, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a revamped and streamlined Form I-9, which must be used starting November 1. The biggest change, however, is DHS’s creation of an “alternate...

Oct 10, 2023 · Employment Law Letter · New York · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

Complying with the OFCCP’s new disability self-identification form

On July 25, 2023, an updated form from the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) became required for all applicable federal contractors and subcontractors subject to Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act...

Oct 10, 2023 · Employment Law Letter · New York · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · 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 · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

Following new decision, your handbook may be unlawful and need revision

Two years ago, in a memo issued by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the agency’s general counsel signaled that one of the Board’s main priorities would be to scrutinize whether certain workplace policies...

Oct 10, 2023 · Employment Law Letter · New York · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · 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 · Upper Midwest · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

What to expect (from the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act) when you’re expecting

Since 1978, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA)—which amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964—has prohibited discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions. For 45 years...

Oct 10, 2023 · Employment Law Letter · New York · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · 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

Denying religious accommodations now more difficult under federal law

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) requires employers to accommodate employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs unless accommodation would result in an undue hardship. Historically, denial of a...

Oct 10, 2023 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin

Who owns knowledge? Considerations when hiring employees from a competitor

You may have recently heard that the heads of two mega-tech companies, Meta and the company formerly known as Twitter, have exchanged accusations. No, we aren’t referring to the potential “cage match” but to the...

Oct 10, 2023 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota

DOL issues final rule updating Davis-Bacon and Related Acts

For the first time in almost 40 years, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced the issuance of regulations designed to update and modernize the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA), which require the payment of locally...

Oct 10, 2023 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · 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

Dissecting challenges to employers’ diversity programs

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in June known as Students for Fair Admissions, which ruled college admission programs cannot consider race. Although the ruling was specifically about educational institutions...

Oct 10, 2023 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

Noncompete agreements may be on the way out

Noncompete agreements, which restrict a worker’s ability to work for a competitor, have come under increased scrutiny in recent years. In 2018, Massachusetts instituted comprehensive noncompete reform, which includes...

Oct 02, 2023 · Employment Law Letter · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont

DHS and ICE announce end to Form I-9 virtual document review

On May 4, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that starting on July 31, 2023, temporary flexibilities for Form I-9 compliance will be eliminated...

Oct 02, 2023 · Employment Law Letter · New York · 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

Reminder that corporations may not represent themselves in court

The lack of formality in administrative proceedings, such as unemployment claims, can lead corporations, LLCs, and other entities to believe they can file appeals in Arkansas courts. Recent cases have reemphasized that...

Oct 02, 2023 · Employment Law Letter · Midwest · Arkansas

Disciplining employee misconduct: A return to (relative) complexity

The decisions of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have always been subject to change—sometimes shifting in a pro-employer direction, and sometimes prolabor—depending on the political composition of its members...

Oct 02, 2023 · Employment Law Letter · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma

Complications caused by noncovered event also not covered

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) isn’t limited to only covering pension or retirement benefits. It also covers most fringe benefits, such as health insurance, offered by employers. A recent case before...

Oct 02, 2023 · Employment Law Letter · Midwest · Arkansas