EEOC Issues New Guidance for Employers on COVID-19 Vaccinations in the Workplace
By Joe Boone | July 25, 2021
On May 28, 2021, the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued new guidance seeking to clarify significant questions regarding mandating vaccines for employees, reasonable accommodation, and employee incentives for vaccination. In considering mandatory vaccination policies in the workplace, the EEOC advised employers to be mindful of whether certain employees may face greater barriers to…
Executive Order has Little Immediate Impact on Employee Non-Competition and Related Restrictive Covenants
On Friday, July 9, 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order on "Promoting Competition in the American Economy" (the Order) aimed at limiting certain anti-competitive practices across multiple sectors, including agriculture, telecommunications, technology and pharmaceuticals. The Order highlights a multitude of anti-competitive practices in these sectors, including the increasing pervasiveness of non-competition and related agreements…
How Companies Can Help Veterans Reach High-Tech Goals
By Joe Boone | November 27, 2020
After leaving the military, joining the workforce is an important part of the transition to civilian life for veterans. Among national economic policy issues, the majority (95%) of veterans surveyed supported investments in skills and technical training, according to a 2019 report by ALG Research, on behalf of the National Skills Coalition. The U.S. Department…
Men Refusing To Work Alone With Women: The HR And Legal Guide
By Joe Boone | December 4, 2019
Can a sincerely held religious belief – or a wife's personal jealousy – justify a male employee refusing to work with women coworkers or other professional contacts? A federal district court in North Carolina is poised to answer this question. The case pending there has drawn substantial national attention because it represents the first legal…
How Employers Can Avoid A Haunted Holiday Season
By Crystal Graham | October 27, 2019
October is the start of the holiday season. While this is an exciting part of the year, it is also a time ripe for workplace issues. If these situations are not properly planned for and managed, they could haunt the workplace far beyond the holiday season. Three of the issues most frequently faced by employers…
De mortuis nil nisi bonum
By Joe Boone | October 16, 2019
The death of an employee is an upsetting and traumatic occurrence. It is also very likely to be unexpected. Thus, it is preferable to have a basic framework in mind for dealing with such an occurrence before it happens. This post is intended to give you an overview of three of the many important considerations…
How to Avoid Missteps When an Employee Goes Through a Divorce
By Joe Boone | October 2, 2019
Employers must walk a tightrope between being professional but compassionate with employees going through a divorce, while remaining in compliance with employment and benefits laws. Sometimes employees going through a divorce falter and must be counseled on poor performance. Other times, they may need someone at work to simply listen as they talk about what…
New Overtime Rule Raises Salary Cut-Off to $35,568
By Joe Boone | September 25, 2019
Employees who make less than $35,568 are now eligible for overtime pay under a final rule issued today by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The new rate will take effect Jan. 1, 2020. To be exempt from overtime under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employees must be paid a salary of at least the threshold amount and meet…
Employee Burnout: A Workplace Safety Hazard?
By Joe Boone | August 7, 2019
Employee burnout is now an officially diagnosable condition. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), which recently updated its definition, employee burnout is not a medical condition. Instead, the WHO calls burnout an "occupational phenomenon." Here's how the organization is defining it: Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully…
The Extramarital Affair at Work
Do you handle it differently from any other workplace romance? Gossiping. Backstabbing. Falling morale. Fading respect for leaders. What workplace event could cause all these things? An extramarital affair. Nearly one-quarter of workers who reported a workplace romance said their affair involved a person who was married at the time, according to the results of a…