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
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
OSHA has published Guidance on Returning to Work to assist employers in understanding their obligations under OSHA as they continue the process of re-opening and returning employees to work. Employers should review this...more
6/22/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Pre-Employment Health Screenings ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
This is the fourth post in a 12-part series on how companies can show support for the black lives matter (BLM) movement by changing company policies and practices. This post focuses on implicit bias and the effect it has on...more
On April 23, 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published guidance in response to this question and the agency’s answer was yes—“an employer may choose to administer COVID-19 testing to employees before...more
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, business—and hiring—must go on. As the EEOC continues to update its guidance regarding employment practices during the pandemic, here are common questions regarding how to implement...more
Q: I am concerned about employees coming to work with a fever—can I test employees’ temperatures before allowing them to work to avoid spreading the coronavirus?
Verrill’s View: Maybe—but there are many factors to consider....more
3/19/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Examinations ,
NLRA ,
OSHA ,
Virus Testing ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
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
2/20/2020
/ Analytics ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Automation Systems ,
Biometric Information ,
Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
Blockchain ,
Code of Conduct ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Ethics ,
General Wellness Devices ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Privacy Laws ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Transparency ,
Wearable Technology
With the New Year comes changes in many state and federal wage and hour laws. Do you operate in a state that has recently experienced a raise in the minimum wage? It is always best practice to check out your state’s...more
1/3/2020
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Final Rules ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Minimum Salary ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Maine Bar Survey -- 1581 Total Responses -
In the last 5 years . . .
• Over 8% (128) experienced sexual harassment
• 23% (363) experienced discrimination, bullying, or other harassment
• 10% (160) reported...more
12/19/2019
/ #MeToo ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Complaint Procedures ,
Corporate Culture ,
Diversity ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws
The last decade has brought with it a significant increase in the number of claims stemming from allegations of discrimination or retaliation as a result of mental health conditions. While we often see an increase in anxiety...more
12/19/2019
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Mental Health ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Retaliation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workers' Compensation Claim
On October 30, 2019, Verrill and MassPay held an in-person seminar program on how to build a respectful and inclusive workplace. Presenters Sheri Heller, of MassPay, and Tawny Alvarez, of Verrill, helped attendees navigate...more
Today, September, 24, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule to increase the salary threshold necessary to remain an exempt employee. The change is estimated to affect 1.3 million American workers under the...more
Yesterday, September 11, 2019, the EEOC announced that it will not seek to renew collection of EEO-1 Component 2 Data for 2019, 2020, and 2021. This does not impact employer’s current EEO-1 obligations to file Component 2...more
The last week has been filled with news broadcasts, jokes, and general discussion of the use of a Sharpie to extend the path of movement of Hurricane Dorian in a map presented during a news broadcast given by President Donald...more
In this episode of our HR Law 101 series, attorney Tawny Alvarez discusses the Family Medical Leave Act or FMLA. In part 1, we discuss the federal act generally, including who it is applicable to, what rights an employee has,...more
The Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, also known as USERRA, has multiple responsibilities for employers and employees. In this episode of HR Law 101, attorney Tawny Alvarez will highlight a few...more
6/12/2019
/ At-Will Employment ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Military Leave ,
Military Service Members ,
USERRA ,
Veterans ,
Wage and Hour
Many business owners and HR professionals look for a concise and straight forward employee handbook. The truth is, there isn't just one universal handbook to put on a shelf with all you need to know. Listen to this episode of...more
6/12/2019
/ Corporate Culture ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Medical Leave ,
Notification Requirements ,
Paid Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unpaid Leave ,
Wage and Hour
On April 12, 2019, Governor Mills signed into law LD 278, “An Act Regarding Pay Equality.” Under the new laws (5 M.R.S.A. § 4577; 26 M.R.S.A. § 628-A) employers may not “use or inquire about the compensation history of a...more
On March 22, 2019, a federal judge permitted an Ohio man’s class action lawsuit to proceed against Ford Motor Company. The lawsuit alleges the company discriminated against disabled job applicants because its online job...more
4/1/2019
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Class Action ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Disparate Impact ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Motion To Strike ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Title III ,
Website Accessibility
Because of how often we hear from clients regarding requests for “emotional support” animals to accompany employees to work, we figured a refresher on how to handle these types of situations would be appreciated. While we do...more