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
For employers operating in New England, they are likely aware of Connecticut and New York’s recent captive audience statutes, but a quick re-cap on Maine’s recently enacted Captive Audience statute:
Maine’s Captive...more
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”)...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
If you have been on social media today (or yesterday) or picked up a newspaper or listened to the radio or watched television—really if you have consumed news in any format, you likely are aware that POLITICO obtained an...more
It is April 2022 and after 2 years of pandemic-related in-person meeting restrictions (also known as meeting In Real Life (IRL)), we are seeing increases in employers permitting work-related travel. That, coupled with...more
On March 18, the United States House of Representatives passed HR 2116 by a vote of 235-to-189. The Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act (a/k/a CROWN Act), would restrict discrimination on the basis of...more
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
This is the seventh 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 creating effective affinity groups to assist...more
This is the sixth 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 the importance of updating grooming/personal...more
This is the fifth 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 the importance of third-party intervention...more
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
This is the third post in a 12-part series on how companies can support the Black Lives Matter movement through changes in company policies and practices. Our last post focused on reviewing and updating your EEO Policies. In...more
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 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
How many times have you heard, as a Human Resources professional, an employee make the statement: “I need leave, but I don’t want to use my FMLA leave”? In many cases, our initial response is to educate the employee and help...more
3/20/2019
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Policies ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Notice Requirements ,
Opinion Letter ,
Paid Leave ,
Sick Leave ,
Wage and Hour
Over the past few days, while many were preparing turkeys or throwing out lettuce, the Boston Globe posted Trouble is brewing at craft beer darling Trillium... but the long and the short of it is that Trillium changed how it...more
11/26/2018
/ Best Practices ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Minimum Wage ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Relations ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
You’ve been tasked with hiring a new employee, but where do you start? In this episode of HR Law 101: Understanding the HR Basics, Verrill Dana labor and employment attorney Tawny Alvarez focuses on the nuances and pitfalls...more
Multiple states (and some cities) have sexual harassment requirements for certain employers. Currently California, Connecticut, and Maine have training requirements in place and New York’s training requirement will take...more
[Letter to Byron D. Verrill, who in 1862 began the law practice known today as Verrill Dana, LLP] -
Dear Byron D. Verrill -
The other day an employee asked me what our policy is on emoji use in the office. We don’t have...more
On July 1, 2018, Massachusetts Pay Equity law takes effect requiring all employers to pay men and women equally for comparable work—a phrase that is different from many similar statutes that have gone into effect over the...more
4/11/2018
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Audits ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Pay ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Gender Equity ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Gap ,
Salary/Wage History ,
Sex Discrimination ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour