In our recent webinar, Moving Forward: Key Reopening Issues & Considerations, Goulston & Storrs attorneys explored the new set of challenges employers face as Massachusetts lifts the remaining COVID-19 restrictions....more
6/8/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Incentive Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Black Lives Matter! The Killing of George Floyd! Taking a Knee!
The current and historic legacy of discrimination based on race and gender is on the front pages of our papers and our digital news feeds. It also should be...more
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to reevaluate almost all areas of our life, including redefining the employment relationship. Our return to the workplace, like our return to society, must be structured around collective...more
5/19/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Screening Procedures ,
Social Distancing ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Decontamination ,
Workplace Safety
Have you been self-isolating (and following social distance and face-covering protocol when leaving your residence) for the past 14 days, alone or with others, all of whom also have been self-isolating?
...more
Step 1: Prepare for employees to return to the workplace.
Assess the risk level of your workplace according to OSHA Guidelines.
Lower exposure risk (caution) jobs are those that do not require contact with people known to...more
5/11/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Screening Procedures ,
Social Distancing ,
Workplace Safety
CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) -
Below is a summary of certain provisions of HR 748, the bill approved by the Senate on March 25, 2020. Please note that the legislation still requires...more
3/26/2020
/ Business Interruption ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Federal Loans ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Relief Measures ,
Required Minimum Distributions ,
Small Business ,
Tax Relief
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has reached almost all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. It appears that COVID-19 originated in China’s Hubei province and it presents the greatest risk to...more
3/17/2020
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Best Practices ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Layoffs ,
OWBPA ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Public Health ,
Release of Claims ,
Risk Management ,
Severance Pay ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
WARN Act ,
Workplace Safety
In 2014, President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the Department of Labor (DOL) to update the regulations defining which workers are protected by the Fair Labor Standard Act's (FSLA) minimum wage and...more
In December 2014, we reported that the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) had issued 13 complaints naming McDonald's as a “joint employer” of the employees at its franchisees. The complaints alleged...more
9/16/2015
/ AFL-CIO ,
Browning-Ferris Industries of California Inc. ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Franchisee ,
Franchises ,
Franchisors ,
International Franchise Association (IFA) ,
Joint Employers ,
McDonalds ,
NLRB ,
Staffing Agencies ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
On June 19, 2015, the Office of the Attorney General (the “AGO”) published the final regulations (940 CMR 33.00 et seq.) to the Massachusetts Earned Sick Leave Law (G.L. c. 149, § 148C). The final regulations provide much...more
As your prospective employees are brushing up on their interview skills, it’s also a good time to ensure your hiring practices and procedures are in order. A regular review of employment application processes will keep them...more
Effective April 7, 2015, Massachusetts employers with six or more employees must provide childbirth leave on a gender neutral basis. Under a new Parental Leave Act law (“PLA”) signed by former Governor Deval Patrick on the...more
As we ring in the New Year, many employers take the opportunity to review their personnel policies to ensure that they are up to date. Leave laws often are at the forefront of new developments. Here in Massachusetts, voters...more
On December 19, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued 13 complaints naming McDonalds as a “joint employer” of the employees at its franchisees....more
Dealing with employees also means dealing with their misconceptions about employment law. This blog entry highlights some of these misconceptions and reminds employers of the significance of employment at will....more