On April 23, 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) released a final rule raising the minimum salary thresholds for certain overtime exemptions under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which effectively expands the...more
5/8/2024
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Final Rules ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Minimum Salary ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
Salaried Employees ,
Threshold Requirements ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
The new year is an excellent time for businesses to take a fresh look at their policies to ensure they are up-to-date. This article highlights recent updates to the Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave law (PFML) to be...more
1/15/2024
/ Employee Benefits ,
Employee Contributions ,
Employer Contributions ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
The U.S. Supreme Court recently held that it is illegal to consider race in college admissions decisions. While the decision did not apply to employers, employers should be aware that the decision is being used as a roadmap...more
12/28/2023
/ Civil Rights Act ,
College Admissions ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Protection ,
Equity ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Racial Bias ,
SCOTUS ,
Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College ,
Students for Fair Admissions v University of North Carolina ,
Title VI ,
Title VII
The employment law landscape can shift quickly to keep up with our rapidly evolving world of work. You can be better prepared by anticipating changes that could impact your business. Below are three areas in which legal...more
6/27/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Bots ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Emerging Technologies ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Exemptions ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Minimum Salary ,
Over-Time ,
Pay Transparency ,
Salary/Wage History ,
State and Local Government ,
Technology ,
Wage and Hour
If your business needs to terminate an employee and offer a severance agreement, pay close attention to a February 21, 2023 decision by the National Labor Relations Board (“Board”), McLaren Macomb, et al., Case 07-CA-263041. ...more
On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a proposed rule that, if enacted, would amount to a near-total ban on the use of non-compete agreements nationwide. If enacted as written, the FTC’s proposed...more
2/20/2023
/ Competition ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Garden Leave ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unfair Competition
On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a proposed rule that, if enacted, would amount to a near-total ban on the use of non-compete agreements nationwide. If enacted as written, the FTC’s proposed...more
1/30/2023
/ Competition ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Popular ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Unfair Competition
Several important updates to the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave law (“PFML”) go into effect on January 1, 2023.
Background on the PFML -
Beginning in 2021, the PFML began providing paid family and medical...more
12/1/2022
/ Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Employer Contributions ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Family Medical Leave ,
Former Employee ,
Governor Baker ,
Health Insurance ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medical Leave ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Hearing ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour
As employers are settling into the post-pandemic “new normal,” many offices look much different than they did in 2020. Employers have implemented significant changes in workforce arrangements, with many employees working...more
Effective immediately, Massachusetts employers must furnish up to 40 hours of COVID-19 emergency paid sick leave (“COVID Leave”) to their employees, to be made available either through September 30, 2021, or until the...more
6/2/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Governor Baker ,
New Legislation ,
New Regulations ,
Notice Requirements ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
With Governor Baker’s announcement earlier this week of the Commonwealth’s four-phase approach to re-opening businesses, many employers are turning their attention and making plans to re-open their workplaces and re-hire...more
[This is an update to our March 27 post...]
On March 18, 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) updated its guidance titled Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace and the Americans With Disabilities Act...more
Much of the focus of the media coverage on the recently passed CARES Act concerns the loan provisions for small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program. However, there are some benefits in the Act for mid-sized...more
On March 18, 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) updated its guidance titled Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace and the Americans With Disabilities Act to account for the novel issues employers face...more
3/28/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Monitoring ,
New Guidance ,
Sick Employees ,
Sick Leave ,
Workplace Safety
The legal landscape, as related to COVID-19, is changing on a daily basis, and we want to keep you up to date on changes that will have an impact on your business. Below is a quick overview of the most recently posted...more
3/26/2020
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EFMLA ,
Employee Monitoring ,
EPSLA ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Governor Baker ,
New Guidance ,
School Closures ,
Sick Leave ,
Sick Pay
On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) into law in response to the public health emergency caused by COVID-19. This is a sweeping legislation that has an immediate...more
3/25/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EFMLA ,
EPSLA ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
New Legislation ,
Relief Measures ,
Sick Leave ,
Sick Pay ,
Tax Credits ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Virus Testing
As the COVID-19 pandemic response continues to have a major impact on individuals and businesses on a global scale, we are working to stay abreast of the latest updates for our clients. This post compiles some useful...more
Keeping an eye on changes and trends in employment law is an excellent way for businesses to mitigate risk. Benjamin Franklin famously said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This adage rings especially true...more
2/28/2020
/ Amended Rules ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Federal Employees ,
Medical Leave ,
Minimum Salary ,
Minimum Wage ,
NDAA ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Over-Time ,
Paid Family Leave Insurance Program ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
Parental Leave ,
Rate of Pay ,
Retail Workers ,
State Labor Laws ,
Sunday Pay Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions