Blogs

Employment Law

Five Reasons to Update Your Employee Handbook in 2025

An employee handbook is a crucial tool for a business to communicate its policies, procedures, and expectations, and to ensure legal compliance. However, employee handbooks need to be reviewed and updated regularly to achieve these objectives. Here are five reasons to update your employee handbook in 2025: In addition, as workforces increase in numbers, businesses…

January 13, 2025

Employment Law

Wearable Technologies in the Workplace: What are the Risks for Employers?

It is becoming increasingly common for employers, especially in the construction, manufacturing, and warehousing sectors, to outfit workers with wearable technologies, or “wearables” — devices worn on the body to improve worker safety and productivity. Worker safety and productivity are becoming increasingly important line items for employers to control. Consider that the construction, manufacturing, and…

December 30, 2024

Employment Law

Understanding Schedule F: What It Means for Federal Employees and Contractors

The concept of “Schedule F” in federal employment was a topic of considerable discussion in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, raising questions about its implications in 2025 and beyond for federal employees and contractors. This blog provides an informational overview of Schedule F, its potential impact on the federal workforce, and considerations for…

November 27, 2024

Employment Law

DOL’s 2024 FLSA Overtime Rule Blocked by Texas Federal Court

On November 15, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2024 Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) Salary Basis Rule (“2024 Rule”) was vacated by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The 2024 Rule, which was finalized by the DOL back in April and became effective on July 1, 2024, raised the…

November 22, 2024

Employment Law

Mental Health Crisis Management for Employers

Employee mental health support is no longer just an option—it’s a necessity. With mental health challenges on the rise, employers must be prepared to handle crises effectively and compassionately. Managing mental health crises with sensitivity and compliance is a win-win not only benefiting affected employees and also safeguarding the employer from potential legal risks. This…

November 19, 2024

Employment Law

Courts Issue Mixed Rulings in Legal Challenges to FTC’s Ban on Non-Competes. What Should Employers Do Now?

Important updates on the status of the FTC’s Rule banning non-competes: In a further update to the litigation status of the FTC’s final rule banning employee non-competes, on October 18, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission filed a petition of appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit of the decision of the…

November 11, 2024

Employment Law

EEOC’s 2024 Litigation Has Focused on the ADA and PWFA

Recently, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that the agency had filed 110 lawsuits challenging unlawful employment discrimination practices in fiscal year 2024. The EEOC is responsible for oversight and enforcement of federal employment discrimination laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and…

November 7, 2024

Employment Law

Do Employees Have the Right to Federal Holidays Off?

Federal holidays are recognized national observances that, for many, play a significant role in American culture. They offer employees an opportunity to take a break from work, celebrate important moments, and spend time with family and friends. However, when it comes to employee rights and employer obligations surrounding time off on federal holidays, many misconceptions…

October 25, 2024

Employment Law

NLRB Adds “Stay-or-Pay” Provisions to the List of Employee Restrictions that Violate Federal Law

On October 7, 2024, National Labor Relation Board (NLRB) General Counsel (GC), Jennifer Abruzzo, issued a memorandum to NLRB field offices adding additional substance to the position on non-competes she outlined in her May 30, 2024, Memo, chiefly that “overbroad non-compete agreements are unlawful because they chill employees from exercising their rights under Section 7…

October 16, 2024

Employment Law

Employers: Be Careful What You Say About a Former Employee. Inflammatory Posts Can Result in a Charge of Retaliation

U.S. employers continue to face significant risks from claims of unlawful workplace retaliation under federal law, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). To emphasize that point, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) most recent statistics show that it received more than 46,000 employee retaliation complaints…

October 9, 2024