Blogs

Employment Law

DOL Explains FLSA Travel Time Payment Rules for Part-Day-Telework Employees

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) weighed in again on the question of employee travel time between home and office, i.e., whether or under what circumstances it is compensable under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for “an employee who chooses to telework for part of the day and work at the office for part…

January 15, 2021

Employment Law

Can Employers Require Employees to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?

The arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine foretells a return to normalcy (or some semblance of normalcy) in the workplace and beyond. As the vaccine becomes more widely available, many employers are grappling with the question of whether they can require employees to get vaccinated. The answer is yes, but with some limitations. Essentially, employers can…

January 15, 2021

Employment Law

FFCRA Update: COVID-19 Paid Leave in 2021

The paid leave requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) expired on December 31, 2020, but employers who choose to continue providing such paid leave can benefit from the FFCRA tax credit through March 31, 2021. From April 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020, the FFCRA required covered employers (private employers with fewer…

January 13, 2021

Employment Law

DOL Allows Employers to Electronically Post Required FLSA/FMLA Notices

2020 will undoubtedly be remembered as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as the year that telework gained widespread acceptance in the U.S. While remote work creates several benefits for employers, it also comes with some challenges. In guidance issued this week, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) took on one of those issues:…

January 8, 2021

Employment Law

DOL Adjusts their View of Telemedicine to Support FMLA Leave

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued guidance clarifying that telemedicine examinations or treatment, which have become increasingly widespread by necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic, may be used by employees as the equivalent of an “in-person visit to a health care provider” for the purpose of establishing a “serious health condition” under the Family…

January 4, 2021

Business and Financial Services

PPP Second Draw – What Businesses and Lenders Need to Know About the New Round of Funding

Many have been waiting for the federal government to pass additional COVID-19 economic stimulus legislation. Those who have a had a particular interest in Congress’s activities include small businesses and lenders who received or lent Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) Loans under the CARES Act. Now, more than four months after the last application under the…

December 28, 2020

Employment Law

DOL Issues New Tipped Employee Rules under the FLSA

As a Court of Appeals panel in Richmond pointed out recently, employer FLSA obligations are simple enough for employees who receive a traditional hourly wage but get far murkier and more complicated in the restaurant industry, where employees typically receive compensation through tips or gratuities and employers are permitted to take a “tip credit” to…

December 28, 2020

Employment Law

Deck the Halls (but stay Home) this Holiday Season

The 2020 holiday season is fast approaching. By one recent estimate, nearly 40% of Americans are planning to travel for the holidays, many to visit with family, friends, and loved ones for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet there are some parts of the U.S., especially the mid-west and south,…

November 3, 2020

Business and Financial Services

Tax Implications of PPP Loan Forgiveness

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans taken out in connection with the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis that were subsequently forgiven raise a number of tax questions. A PPP loan may be forgiven in an amount equal to the sum of: (1) payroll costs; (2) interest (but not principal) payments on covered mortgage obligations (for mortgages before February…

October 19, 2020

Business and Financial Services

Creditors’ Rights Questions During COVID-19 – Part 1

As the coronavirus pandemic carries on, many creditors, including landlords and lenders, are wondering to what extent they can enforce leases and contracts, given various relief programs that have been instituted by federal, state, and local governments, such as eviction and foreclosure moratoriums. Below are a couple of scenarios describing such circumstances and answers to…

October 15, 2020