Employers are the first to recognize the impact social media has in the workplace. Social media websites are increasingly being used by businesses and their employees for both professional and personal purposes. For that reason, employers have a genuine interest in managing how employees’ social media postings affects the business. Employers must also be aware Read more
Recently the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) and the US Department of Labor (DOL) released guidance on how lawfully married same-sex spouses will be treated under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the result of a Supreme Court ruling in the U.S. v. Windsor case. The Read more
Effective July 1, 2013, Hawaii Employment Practices Law was amended to require an employer allow an employee reasonable break time to express breast milk for one year after her child’s birth each time the employee has a need. Under the law, employers must also provide the employee with a location, other than a restroom, shielded Read more
Vermont Enacts Employee Social Network Password Protection Law Vermont becomes the latest state to enact an employee social network privacy law. The new law prohibits an employer from attempting to gain access to employees’ and applicants’ personal electronic accounts by (1) requesting or requiring disclosure of a user name, password or other log-in information or Read more
Workplace bullying is fast becoming an issue in workplaces across the US. Since 2003, 24 states have introduced legislation addressing this hot topic, but none of the bills have been enacted into law. So what exactly is workplace bullying? According to Healthy Workplace Bill.org, workplace bullying is repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons Read more
Progress is being made in the fight against employee misclassification, most recently in the District of Columbia. Employee misclassification is the practice of labeling workers as independent contractors, rather than employees. Misclassification is unfair to law-abiding employers that pay unemployment insurance taxes and provide workers’ compensation coverage for their employees. They also face a competitive Read more
New Mexico takes a big step forward in achieving wage equality for women with the recent passage of the Fair Pay for Women Act. Effective June 14, 2013, getting equal pay may be easier for New Mexico workers of either sex. That’s because the law protects both women and men from wage discrimination. Wage Discrimination Read more
A recent decision by the NRLB should have employers taking a fresh look at their handbooks and workplace policies. In the case, the Board ruled that four (4) work rules maintained by the employer violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). All four rules, found in the employer’s handbook and on its intranet, improperly restricted Read more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced the four (4) winners of its latest app challenge, the “Worker Safety and Health App Challenge”. These new tools demonstrate the importance of recognizing and preventing workplace safety and health hazards. They also help young people understand their rights in the workplace. The winners of the challenge Read more
The Oklahoma Office of Civil Rights Enforcement has updated the state’s Discrimination Law posting. “Genetic information” has been added as a class protected from employment discrimination. This change comes from Oklahoma Senate Bill 837, passed in 2011. The law applies to public and private employers, labor organizations and employment agencies. The law protects employees and Read more
