Every employer is well advised to have a written employee handbook consisting of a written compilation of rules, standards and policies governing the management of the employer’s human resources. Employers should carefully consider their business, legal, employee relations and general objectives for creating an employee handbook, and then treat it as a living document, conducting […]
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In the current age of global pandemics and unprecedented economic instability, many employers and employees find themselves stressed to the maximum. A recent decision by a Federal Appeals Court that an employer did not discriminate against an employee by firing her for misconduct she attributed to post-traumatic stress disorder has shed some new light on […]
Laws permitting the medicinal use of marijuana were enacted in Massachusetts in 2012 and on July 1, 2018, recreational marijuana was legalized. The Commonwealth’s evolving law governing marijuana usage presents profound challenges for Massachusetts employers seeking to protect their customers, employees and themselves. This article will briefly examine some of the current trends in marijuana […]
In “DOJ Action Is A Cautionary Tale On Employer No-Poach Pacts,” Eric Walz and Adam Shafran provide their expert analysis and highlight a significant consequence of the DOJ’s recent indictment of a company for utilizing a no-poach agreement to restrict movement of top level employees (United States of America v. Surgical Care Affiliates, LLC and […]
In today’s world, political discourse is rarely civil and can often lead to potentially tense and/or hostile disagreements. However, if an employee makes the choice to discuss hotly contested political topics in the office, could that employee be subject to discipline for his/her viewpoints, or does the First Amendment protect free speech and shield the […]
It is widely accepted throughout the legal community that there will be a wave of COVID-19 related litigation once the immediate impact of the pandemic settles. As COVID-19 spread, employers quickly closed their offices and transitioned employees to remote working without time to plan. When the dust settles, employers should expect that they will be […]
The outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted all of our lives and generated numerous questions on various employment and other legal issues. We are working diligently to counsel our clients as issues arise throughout these uncertain times. This article is intended to provide answers to some of the most common legal issues related to COVID-19 […]
by Robert Rudolph Massachusetts Minimum Wage Effective January 1, 2020, the Massachusetts Minimum Wage will increase from $12.00 per hour to $12.75 per hour. The Massachusetts Minimum Wage will continue to increase in yearly increments until it reaches $15.00 per hour on January 1, 2023. In Massachusetts, all workers are presumed to be employees, and […]
by Adam Shafran On May 8, 2019, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued what will likely be its most important employment-related decision of the year in the matter of Sullivan v. Sleepy’s LLC. In Sleepy’s, a decision that will impact all retail employers in the Commonwealth, the SJC held that retail employers may not use […]
