While Maine employers are still waiting for the Department of Labor to finalize regulations related to the recently instituted Paid FML program, there are steps that employers should take now....more
Employers with employees in Connecticut need to be aware of Connecticut’s recently enacted revision to Public Act No. 24-8, which broadens the scope of paid sick leave requirements, making it applicable to a broader range of...more
11/11/2024
/ Connecticut ,
Earned Sick Time ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Labor Reform ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
In the midst of election season, New England employers must fully understand the voting leave laws in the jurisdictions in which they operate. Like so many employment laws, each state has its own regulations regarding time...more
Employers in the State of Maine with fifty (50) or more employees should be mindful that the Maine Bureau of Labor has updated its poster for Veterans Benefits and Services...more
On January 11, 2024, at 12:15 p.m., Governor Janet Mills declared a state of emergency in Cumberland County as a result of the severe storm earlier in the week. The state of emergency will expire January 18, 2024, at 12:15....more
Today, January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) proposed a new rule that would ban companies from requiring non-compete agreements to be signed by employees and contractors (“Proposed Rule”). The FTC estimates...more
While in March of 2020, I believe many individuals hoped that by July of 2022 we would no longer be concerned with COVID-19 Policies, such, unfortunately, is not the case. Yesterday, the EEOC updated its long-standing...more
7/15/2022
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EEO ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Guidance Update ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
Screening Procedures ,
Virus Testing
For blog followers, you likely saw last week’s post reminding you to revisit your confidentiality policies in the wake of the leaking of the Supreme Court’s draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, as well as our...more
Over the last year, our society has navigated COVID-19 and rules concerning vaccination and masking. As a society and on this blog, we have discussed regularly the role religious freedoms play in the work environment—under...more
5/11/2022
/ Constitutional Amendment ,
Discrimination ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Freedom of Religion ,
Hostile Environment ,
Leaked Information ,
NLRA ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Religious Expression ,
State and Local Government ,
Title VII
Prior to (and more so during) the pandemic, many individuals who found themselves working from home were limited in ways to express their uniqueness, their personalities, the things that made them, well, them. It started with...more
This is the first in a series of posts from Verrill with the purpose of helping to dispel myths that are currently circulating concerning employment laws and rules related to COVID-19.
On September 24, the Safer Federal...more
10/11/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
OMB ,
Prime Contractor ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Subcontractors ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Earlier today (June 10, 2021), OSHA issued COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) Subpart U applicable to healthcare settings. While OSHA has indicated that future guidance may be provided for other industries, today’s...more
6/11/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Guidance Update ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Screening Procedures ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations
Last week, the EEOC provided updated COVID-19 guidance to employers on vaccines and vaccine incentives in the employment realm. One area, however, in which the agencies has been silent is in the public accommodation space and...more
6/7/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Exceptions ,
GINA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Title II ,
Title III ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations
DOL Scraps Trump-era Interpretative Letters and 60,000 U.K. Uber Drivers Entitled to Worker Benefits -
It has been a big day for changes on the worker classification front. In the last 24 hours, Britain’s highest court...more
Congress’s 5593-page Consolidated Appropriations Act, passed by the Senate on December 21, 2020, and signed by the President last night (December 27, 2020), includes an extension of employer tax credits for leave provided...more
12/29/2020
/ Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Extensions ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
IRS ,
Paid Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Credits ,
Trump Administration
This is the eighth post in a 12-part series on how companies can show support for the Black Lives Matter movement by changing company policies and practices. This post focuses on educating senior leadership about the...more
Navigating the ins and outs of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) can be difficult for employers. This animation seeks to illustrate some of the most important takeaways...more
As flu season approaches, employers are searching for answers on how to deal with viruses spreading throughout the workplace. The question is, “Can I mandate employees receive the flu vaccine?” Are there standards in place?...more
10/5/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Influenza ,
NLRA ,
Right to Privacy ,
Title VII ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Safety
On January 1, 2021, LD 369, An Act Authorizing Earned Employee Leave takes effect for Maine employers. Passed by the Legislature in 2019, Maine employers have been patiently waiting for clarification as to the...more
Summer is coming to end, but not all students are heading back to the classroom. Many parents are facing the decision of whether to send their children to school in-person, enroll them in remote classes, change to a...more