In a rare win for Massachusetts employers, the Supreme Judicial Court just ruled that employers generally have no obligation to allow employees to continue accruing benefits, such as seniority, vacation, and sick time, while...more
The election season promises to be turbulent, and your workplace will not be immune from the challenges that are sure to face us. What do you need to know about your rights and responsibilities as an employer now that the...more
9/12/2024
/ Appearance Policy ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Dress Codes ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Policies ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Expression ,
Political Speech ,
Presidential Elections ,
Social Media Policy
A Japanese supermarket chain is getting attention for implementing an AI tool called “Mr. Smile” that monitors workers for the quality and quantity of their smiles when interacting with customers, raising questions around the...more
Private colleges and universities employing student workers face the unique challenge of balancing privacy obligations and a growing push from federal labor authorities to release student information to unions. Recent...more
8/14/2024
/ Colleges ,
Consent ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employment Policies ,
Employment Records ,
FERPA ,
Labor Relations ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
School Policies ,
Student Employees ,
Student Privacy ,
Student Records ,
Union Request for Information ,
Unions ,
Universities
The Massachusetts Appeals Court just rendered a decision that significantly broadens when one entity may be found to be a “joint employer” of another entity’s employees under state wage laws. The June 13 decision, coupled...more
When Taylor Swift revealed the track list for “The Tortured Poets Department” – a new album she’ll release on April 19 – fans immediately began theorizing about what might have inspired each song. While your #FPSwifties live...more
4/12/2024
/ Ban the Box ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Job Applicants ,
Notice Requirements ,
Recruitment Policies ,
Remote Working ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Romances
The National Labor Relations Board just ruled that a national retailer must allow customer-facing employees who want to write “Black Lives Matter” on their uniforms to do so – and may have opened Pandora ’s Box when it comes...more
2/23/2024
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Dress Codes ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
NLRB ,
Political Expression ,
Political Speech ,
Protected Concerted Activity ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Uniforms
Love is in the air on Valentine’s Day – and according to recent research, it has likely found its way to your workplace. Even with the rise of remote work, office romances are commonplace, which illustrates the importance of...more
The coming election year promises to be turbulent, and your workplace will not be immune from the challenges that are sure to face us. What do you need to know about your rights and responsibilities as an employer now that...more
1/15/2024
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Rights ,
Employment Policies ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Candidates ,
Political Contributions ,
Political Expression ,
Primary Elections ,
Protected Concerted Activity ,
Social Media Policy ,
Voting Leave
While we respect Taylor Swift’s accomplishments for so many reasons, your #FPSwifties particularly admire Ms. Swift as an employer. From employee appreciation (those legendary tour bonuses sound really nice!) to her...more
When I reflect on the relationship that our firm has with our clients, I’m most proud of the fact that you can always count on us. That often means defending complex litigation, steering you through regulatory threats,...more
12/4/2023
/ 401k ,
Acquisitions ,
Affirmative Action ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Automotive Industry ,
Bias ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Car Dealerships ,
Chevron Deference ,
Child Labor ,
College Admissions ,
Colleges ,
Construction Industry ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Deletion ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Security ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Diversity ,
E-Verify ,
Educational Institutions ,
EEO-1 ,
Electronic Records ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
EU ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
International Labor Laws ,
Joint Employers ,
Jury Verdicts ,
L-1 Visas ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Relations ,
Labor Shortage ,
Manufacturing Employers ,
Mergers ,
Mexico ,
Name and Likeness ,
New Legislation ,
New Rules ,
NLRB ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
OFCCP ,
OSHA ,
Over-Time ,
Pay Data ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Transparency ,
Payroll Taxes ,
Privacy Laws ,
Professional Employer Organization ,
Proposed Rules ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Recruitment Policies ,
Remote Working ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Retirement Plan ,
Salaried Employees ,
Scheduling Letters ,
School Districts ,
School Policies ,
SCOTUS ,
SECURE Act ,
Severance Agreements ,
Sports ,
Staffing Agencies ,
State Labor Laws ,
State of Emergency ,
Student Athletes ,
Student Loans ,
Students ,
Tip Credit ,
Title IX ,
Trade Secrets ,
Transgender ,
Union Organizers ,
Unions ,
Universities ,
USCIS ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence
Many employers had trouble keeping up with the dizzying pace of new directives from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in 2023. And these changes may have prompted you to review and update your employee relations...more
11/27/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Information Sharing ,
Labor Relations ,
NLRB ,
NLRB General Counsel ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Unions
FP Weekly members receive a practical and cutting-edge checklist of issues to consider, action steps to take, and goals to accomplish to ensure you remain on the top of your game when it comes to workplace relations and...more
Each week, FP Weekly members receive a practical and cutting-edge checklist of issues to consider, action steps to take, and goals to accomplish to ensure you remain on the top of your game when it comes to workplace...more
12/12/2022
/ Appearance Policy ,
Bostock v Clayton County Georgia ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Compliance ,
Dress Codes ,
Employment Policies ,
Gender Neutral ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Race Discrimination ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
SCOTUS ,
Title VII ,
Zoom®
It’s never easy to make accurate predictions about what we might expect to see in the workplace in the coming year. After all:
- At the start of 2020, no one could have predicted COVID-19.
- None of us had heard the phrase...more
11/1/2022
/ Affirmative Action ,
Background Checks ,
Blockchain ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Security ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employee Retention ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Relations ,
Leave of Absence ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Trade Secrets ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Massachusetts employers should review and update their employee handbook policies and notices to ensure they accurately reflect Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) obligations. Notably, as the second year of PFML draws to a...more
Massachusetts just joined 17 other states that ban discrimination based on hairstyle by passing the CROWN Act, which Governor Baker signed into law yesterday. The CROWN Act stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for...more
A terminated Kroger Co. distribution center worker has just sued the grocery store giant over its handling of absences for what she alleges were COVID-19 symptoms. The most interesting aspect of this claim is that the...more
The matchup is now set: the Los Angeles Rams will be playing the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII, and no doubt your employees are very much aware of the upcoming game. A good many of them will be among the estimated...more
It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law. While the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace, there have been an unprecedented number of changes for the past few years—and this past month...more
9/17/2018
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Background Checks ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Class Action ,
Collective Action Waivers ,
Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies Act (CCRAA) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Failed Legislation ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Freedom of Religion ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Gig Economy ,
Governor Baker ,
Governor Brown ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (ICRAA) ,
Licenses ,
Misclassification ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
OFCCP ,
Opinion Letter ,
Opioid ,
Over-Time ,
Pay Gap ,
Pending Legislation ,
Portable Benefits ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Ridesharing ,
Right to Work ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Union Dues ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Injury
In one fell swoop, Massachusetts has set in motion a plan to increase its minimum wage to $15.00 per hour and create a comprehensive paid family and medical leave program as the result of a “grand bargain” between employee...more
6/28/2018
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Blue Laws ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Contributions ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Full-Time Employees ,
Governor Baker ,
Holiday Pay ,
Medical Leave ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Over-Time ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
Rate of Pay ,
Retail Workers ,
Retailers ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tipped Employees ,
Trust Funds ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules
Massachusetts just joined 21 other states and the District of Columbia by enacting a comprehensive pregnancy workplace law with unanimous support from the legislature, employee advocates, and the Massachusetts business...more
7/28/2017
/ Breastfeeding ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Leave ,
Pregnancy Disability Leave Law ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Retaliation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Undue Hardship ,
Unpaid Leave ,
Work Schedules
The highest state court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts issued a decision yesterday announcing that handicapped employees who have been prescribed medical marijuana may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation under the...more
7/19/2017
/ Appeals ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Drug Testing ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
MA Supreme Judicial Court ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Undue Hardship ,
Zero Tolerance Policies