We recently have observed an increase in the number of employers conducting group layoffs or “RIFs” in order to cut costs because of the economic downturn. This trend may only worsen in the coming year. Employers must be...more
Office workers who perform receptionist, secretarial, and other administrative tasks often are incorrectly classified as exempt from overtime pay because they receive a salary and have job titles such as "executive...more
Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston dismissed the appeal of a group of Whole Foods employees who were disciplined for wearing face masks with the phrase “Black Lives Matter” at work. In Frith...more
7/6/2022
/ Appeals ,
Bias ,
Black Lives Matter ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Dismissals ,
Dress Codes ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Racial Bias
As with other types of relationships, breaking up with an employee is seldom easy. And employee terminations result in more lawsuits than any other employment action. Employers should keep the following 10 tips in mind when...more
In a recent decision, Terence Meehan v. Medical Information Technology, Inc., the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that an employer cannot terminate an employee for exercising the right to file a rebuttal to a...more
Last month, in Reuter v. City of Methuen, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that any late payment of wages by an employer results in strict liability for treble damages under the Wage Act. Prior to this ruling,...more
As anticipated, on March 25, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a notice/workplace poster (a copy is available at: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/posters) that summarizes employee rights under the newly...more
On March 24, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released an initial set of questions and answers (Q&As) concerning the recently enacted Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). This is the first round of DOL...more
3/25/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EFMLA ,
EPSLA ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Paid Sick Leave Act ,
Relief Measures ,
Sick Leave ,
Sick Pay ,
Tax Credits
On Friday, March 20, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued a News Release, IR 2020-57 (Release), that describes the new paid leave benefits for certain employees of small and medium-sized businesses under the...more
On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “Act”) in response to COVID-19. Among other provisions, the Act gives a broad group of employees the right to emergency paid...more
During this webinar, attorneys Doug Currier and Scott Connolly discussed best practices for putting in place effective executive employment agreements, including inbound agreements and separation agreements. Topics discussed...more
3/10/2020
/ Arbitration ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Compensation Committee ,
Contract Drafting ,
Contract Negotiations ,
Contract Termination ,
Contract Terms ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Employment Contract ,
Equity Compensation ,
Executive Compensation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restricted Stocks ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Stock Options ,
Tax Planning
On Thursday, January 30, members of Verrill’s Labor & Employment Group and Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Group conducted a full-day seminar on employment law topics to prepare HR professionals, managers, and...more
On Thursday, January 30, members from Verrill's Employment & Labor group, as well as some from the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation group, conducted a full-day seminar full of employment law related topics that...more
Most employers use contracts to protect their customer relationships and proprietary information from unfair competition by employees. They must. If they do not, they may lose their ownership rights in such business...more
12/18/2019
/ Confidential Information ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Litigation ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Low-Wage Workers ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State Labor Laws ,
Void and Unenforceable
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) generally requires that nonexempt employees who work more than 40 hours in a workweek be paid 1.5 times their “regular rate” for the hours above 40. Calculating overtime pay is...more
Overseeing human resources -- a hat that many CFOs wear -- may mean having to make crucial decisions about hiring and policy, performance management and discipline, and employee terminations. Such decisions may affect HR...more
11/13/2019
/ CFOs ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Independent Contractors ,
Local Ordinance ,
Misappropriation ,
Misclassification ,
Paid Leave ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Separation Agreement ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Office workers who perform secretarial, receptionist and other administrative tasks are often incorrectly classified as exempt from overtime pay because they receive a salary and have job titles such as “executive assistant.”...more