Verrill attorney Tawny Alvarez interviewed Jeana Stewart, NCIDQ, LEED AP, and workplace studio leader of SMRT Architects and Engineers for the January 11, 2020 segment of HR Power Hour, which originally aired on WLOB. Jeana...more
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
Those closely following the timeline for implementation of Massachusetts’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave, are aware that on July 1, 2019, employers were required to begin to make payroll deductions for the paid leave. Did...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
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
Yesterday, March 7, 2019, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) unveiled a proposal to change the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) as it applies to non-exempt employees eligible for overtime. The proposed change...more
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
We talk a lot about the importance of diversity in the workforce: Having a diverse group of employees. The ability to choose from a diverse group of applicants. Making a job attractive to diverse candidates. While some...more
Recent studies reveal that 0.4 percent of Americans (which is between 1 and 1.5 million) identify as Wicca of Pagan, which is more than the people who identify as Presbyterian. What does this mean to you? Well next month, if...more
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
In this episode of HR Law 101: Understanding the HR Basics, Verrill Dana labor and employment attorney Tawny Alvarez discusses the obligations that employers have under federal law to provide a non-discriminatory environment...more
Job descriptions are important for ensuring that employers and employees are on the same page as to job duties and expectations, but what should be included? This episode of HR Law 101: Understanding the HR Basics, featuring...more
In this episode of HR Law 101: Understanding the HR Basics, Verrill Dana labor and employment attorney Tawny Alvarez focuses on understanding the basics of wage and hour laws – from exempt to non-exempt, salary to hourly,...more
In this episode of HR Law 101: Understanding the HR Basics, Verrill Dana labor and employment attorney Tawny Alvarez walks listeners through onboarding best practices, including what paperwork and training are required by law...more
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