Employee Restrictive Covenants: Becoming Increasingly Difficult to Implement and Enforce
September 05, 2019
As state legislatures continue their fervor for enacting employment-related laws, they simultaneously create ever more complex webs of legal compliance challenges for employers. In that vein, one trend that continues to obscure the lines of what is or is not a lawful employment practice is the use restrictive covenant agreements. It was not long ago that companies were essentially free to enter into a variety of restrictive covenant agreements with employees to protect business assets. However, with California leading the way, employers now need to have their fingers on the pulse of law changes in the various states in which they operate before deciding to implement new restrictive covenant agreements or consider enforcing an existing one.
Fair Workweek Laws: Another New Compliance Challenge for Employers
August 26, 2019
In addition to the spread of paid leave requirements, many employers must now also comply with fair workweek laws. “Fair workweek” initiatives, also known as “predictive scheduling,” require employers to provide work schedules to employees in advance and pay employees if those schedules change without sufficient notice.
Restricted Use of Non-Compete Agreements Gains Traction in New England
August 12, 2019
Employers desiring to require low-wage earners to sign and comply with non-competition agreements will find that such agreements are becoming increasingly less enforceable. Courts across the country are refusing to enforce non-competes against low-wage employees, and some states are also taking legislative action to prohibit these agreements.
Small Necessities: Your Duty to Provide Leave to Working Parents
August 09, 2019
Your employee wants to use two hours of PTO to attend a conference or a school event for a minor child. You deny the request, reasoning that PTO should be taken in whole day increments for the purpose of vacations, and allowing the employee to take two hours of PTO may disrupt business operations for the day. Are you complying with the law?
Employee Handbooks: The Most Critical Legal Document in HR
August 05, 2019
One of the most frequently asked questions we get here at myHRcounsel is: do you do employee handbooks? The answer is always an emphatic, “YES!” Anyone who is a client of myHRcounsel gets an attorney-drafted, 50-state compliant, employee handbook. However, inquiring minds still want to know, “What should be in an employee handbook?” Every state’s laws are different, so your company will need different policies for each of the states where you employ workers. To that end, this list is illustrative and not exhaustive and is mostly based on federal laws only. But here we go:
Minnesota Bans Indoor Use of E-Cigarettes
July 29, 2019
Beginning August 1, 2019 in Minnesota, e-cigarettes and vaping will be banned in most indoor workplaces and public places. As part of the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act (MCIAA) that went into effect in 2007, it was amended so that vaping will have the same rules as traditional cigarettes in the state, which means they will no longer be allowed in stores, restaurants, bars, offices or industrial workspaces, or other public spaces. Local law enforcement will have the authority to issue petty misdemeanor citations to proprietors or individuals who knowing fail to comply with the requirements of the MCIAA.
California Bans Discrimination Based on Hairstyle
July 15, 2019
California Governor Gavin Newson recently signed the Crown Act into law, making California the first state in the United States to specifically prohibit employers and school officials from discriminating against people based on their natural hair.
LEGAL ADVICE VERSUS NON-LEGAL (INFORMATIONAL GUIDANCE) DOES IT MATTER?
June 19, 2019
To our legal clients, our PEO partners, our HCM partners, and our followers via our Weekly Legal Brief, social media posts, and free website of forms, FAQ’s, etc. at www.myhrcounselcompliance.com – you no doubt have seen our warnings about the many non-legal “compliance” solutions in the market claiming that “claim” to provide employers with equivalent legal information and protection for HR/employment “compliance” issues.
Why Staffing Agencies Shouldn’t Share Background or I-9 Information
June 18, 2019
Staffing agencies jump through hoops to provide their clients with the best, most qualified candidates and stay competitive. Background checks and drug tests are often essential, and expensive. These screening tools assure staffing agencies that their candidates are appropriate for placement, but what should staffing agencies do when the client demands more than just a certification of the candidate’s qualifications?
Bullying in the Workplace
June 14, 2019
Employers have long been aware of laws prohibiting sexual harassment and discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex, race, religion, disability, national origin, and other protected characteristics. But what about uncivil or intimidating behavior unrelated to protected class status? Many employees complain to employers about coworkers creating “toxic” work environments, but the offending behavior falls outside of the umbrella of state and federal harassment and discrimination laws. How should employers handle these situations?
Serious Business: Minnesota’s New Recordkeeping and Wage Theft Law
June 10, 2019
Minnesota employers, be prepared. A broad new wage theft and employee recordkeeping law goes into effect on July 1, 2019. This leaves employers only until the end of June to prepare to comply.
Connecticut to add Paid Family and Medical Leave
June 10, 2019
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has promised to sign a bill that has been passed by the State Legislature, which will provide up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for workers in the state. This leave law will allow workers in the state 12 weeks paid leave to care for a new child, a sick family member, or a personal illness.
Maine adds Paid-Leave for Any Purpose
June 03, 2019
On Tuesday May 28th, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed into law “An Act Authorizing Employee Leave,” (“the Act”). This new law will provide eligible employees with the ability to accrue up to 40 hours of paid personal leave per year. Unlike other paid leave laws around the country, Maine’s will be the first to allow the employees to use the paid leave for any purpose, including non-medical or personal reasons.
Oregon Expands on Pregnancy Accommodation Law
May 29, 2019
Effective on January 1, 2020, employers in Oregon with 6 or more employees, must provide reasonable accommodations to employees and job applicants who have limitations due to pregnancy, unless doing so would impose a hardship.
Washington Joins Growing Number of States to Limit Salary History Inquiries
May 20, 2019
On May 9, 2019, Washington governor Jay Inslee signed House Bill 1696, “an act relating to wage and salary information,” adding sections to the existing Equal Pay Act, as amended by the Equal Pay Opportunity Act. The new sections, which will take effect on July 28, 2019, are intended to promote equal pay by limiting inquiries into salary history and requiring wage scale transparency. Starting July 28, 2019, employers with 15 or more employees are:
Retain Your ACA Records
May 06, 2019
Even though the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) employer reporting deadlines for tax year 2018 are behind us, the work with the ACA never stops. Several years into the reporting process, the IRS is still reviewing employer submissions from 2015 and 2016, and is still sending 226J penalty letters. Employers can receive a penalty letter if their submission to the IRS shows (a) a less than 95% offer of coverage rate, or (b) that a specific employee was not offered compliant coverage.
Employers Face Costly Lawsuits for Misuse of Biometric Information
April 12, 2019
Retail giant H&M just became the latest corporation to face liability for allegedly failing to follow legal requirements regulating its use of fingerprint scan time clocks. A Cook County, Illinois resident is seeking class certification for a lawsuit alleging that H&M failed to abide by the provisions of the Biometric Information Privacy Act between 2012 and 2017. The plaintiff is seeking an unspecified amount in liquidated monetary damages, costs, attorney’s fees, and further relief.
Final Pay Laws by State
April 08, 2019
We know that employers have a lot to consider when an employee separates, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. One such consideration is when final payment is due to that employee. As the answer varies from state to state, and from one situation to the next, we’ve compiled the table below to make the determination easier. As always, we encourage you to seek legal counsel with questions and specific factual scenarios.
Changes to New Jersey Settlement Agreements and Employment Contracts
April 01, 2019
On March 18, 2019, the Governor of New Jersey signed a new law that affects settlement agreements and employment contracts. Under the law:
Cincinnati City Council Passes Salary History Ordinance
March 20, 2019
On March 13, 2019, Cincinnati, Ohio became the latest jurisdiction to join the growing trend into adopting an ordinance which prohibits employers from asking about or relying on salary history of a prospective employee as they determine the starting pay. This ordinance will go into effect 365 days after becoming law and more detailed rules regarding implementation have been made available.