Best Practices

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This is the first post in a four-part series discussing labor and employment law issues that should be considered when a company decides to buy another business. The series will discuss transactions where the buyer is a union business and transactions when the seller is a union business. This first article focuses on the acquisition…

On March 26, 2020,  the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published its first guidance on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA” or “Act”). The publications included a fact sheet for employees, a fact sheet for employers and a question and answers document. The documents begin to address the numerous questions that businesses have concerning…

Woman working from home

This article is co-written by:
Phyllis Karasov, Larkin Hoffman
Larry Morgan, Orion HR Group, LLC

In light of the coronavirus, the majority of employers are allowing, if not mandating, that employees work from home (WFH). What should employers be thinking about when arranging for employees to telecommute?

  1. Determine which positions lend themselves to WFH. Obviously,

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Over the past decade or so, more and more employers have purchased employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) through their agents. In general, EPLI provides employers with coverage, usually for both defense costs and damages potentially awarded in cases involving claims of discrimination or harassment by employees, overtime, and other allegedly unfair employment practices. At first…

Last fall ProPublica revealed that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has cited employers for discriminatory targeting of job ads on Facebook.  The ads in question excluded women and older workers through use of the micro-targeting tools provided by Facebook’s advertising platform.  Early in 2019, a similar practice came under fire by the Department of…

Inside or Outside Investigations of Employee Conduct or Complaints?

It almost goes without saying that it is imperative in these times that businesses conduct impartial, timely and thorough investigations of workplace misconduct, including employee complaints.  Doing so gives businesses better chances to resolve issues, salvage employees, avoid litigation or at least better defend against liability.…

If you have eaten out recently, you may have seen an additional charge at the bottom of your bill that says something like “health care 3%” or “3.9% mandate compliance surcharge.” As restaurant and other service-industry employers face growing employee costs further eroding already razor-thin margins, many increasingly add extra charges to their bills to…

Employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) is a popular product for employers of all sizes. Many companies obtain EPLI coverage by purchasing a package of insurance policies covering a variety of management risks, such as directors and officers liability, professional liability, and cyber security. Once the policies are in hand, reviewing your company’s voluminous insurance terms…

In the face of the ever-evolving world of social media, employers face a myriad of challenging ‎issues relating to their employees’ use of their own, personal sites, such as Facebook and blogs. ‎These issues include how to handle employees who post information about the employer, how to ‎deal with employees who use sites to harass…

The time has come for companies to begin planning their 2019 holiday parties.  While these events are a great way to show appreciation for employees and build morale, they can present certain risks for employers.  Being mindful of the following issues can help employers avoid complaints, or worse, lawsuits, associated with holiday parties.

Alcohol

While…