Employment

Jen Rubin explains the need for employers to build trust in the workplace in the wake of the #MeToo movement by properly training HR professionals and regularly communicating policies.

Jen Rubin explains that while a private employer can set its own rules regarding what an employee can and cannot say in the workplace, there are some restrictions on a private employer’s ability to take an adverse employment action against an employee based upon certain speech.

Jen Rubin discusses state and municipal legislation that prohibits employers from asking applicants about their salary history. These laws are intended to prevent employers from artificially setting salaries based upon what the individual earned in the past, but rather, their qualifications for the position.

Jen Rubin takes a look at both the benefits and costs of employing arbitration as a mechanism to resolve employment disputes.

Jen Rubin discusses the key things employees need to understand in the wake of the #MeToo movement including reasonable expectations for the handling of a complaint of harassment or other misconduct and any subsequent punishment.

Jen Rubin explains the need for employers to ensure that their interviewers are properly trained to avoid running afoul of state and municipal legislation regarding salary history as well as what a candidate should do if they are asked about their salary history in a jurisdiction in which such an inquiry is prohibited.

Jen Rubin explains that while bullying in the work place isn’t illegal unless the bullying is related to a protected category, employers should consider instituting anti-bullying training as a best practice.

Jen Rubin discusses the different types of post-employment restrictions, including non-competition agreements and non-solicitation agreements, as well as the need for employers to carefully consider what they are trying to protect before drafting and enforcing these policies. 

Jen Rubin discusses the need for employers to comply with applicable state laws that govern how an individual is properly classified as an independent contractor and the associated penalties should an employer fail to do so.

Jen Rubin, a member in Mintz's Employment, Labor and Benefits practice, wrote about the need for a thoughtful and fair investigative process in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

Earlier this year, we wrote about the sweeping legislative changes enacted by New York State and New York City aimed at preventing workplace sexual harassment in the wake of #MeToo.

Non-compete reform has come to Massachusetts, with wide-ranging legal and practical implications for any employers with workers in Massachusetts. Employers have just six weeks to consider and adopt a new approach to non-compete agreements for their workforces.

Employers in Massachusetts are watching closely as a non-compete bill was recently passed by the Legislature and is now on Governor Baker’s desk.

The Office of Labor Policy & Standards, the office responsible for enforcing NYC’s employment laws, recently released guidance on the new Temporary Schedule Change Law. The law, which took effect on July 18, 2018, was passed with little fanfare, but left employers asking many questions about how to effectively implement its requirements.

We want to dedicate our August Bubbler feature to our readers, who have helped Mintz’s blog achieve such an august reputation. This month’s namesake (Emperor Caesar Augustus) would have been proud to see all of the activity out of the Empire State recently.

California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed into law A.B. 2770, creating new protections for employers, witnesses, and complainants from defamation lawsuits related to making, assisting, or discussing good-faith sexual harassment claims and investigations.

Earlier this month, Governor Jerry Brown signed A.B. 2282 into law, clarifying several unanswered questions concerning California’s salary history ban.

In a series of blog posts going back to last August, we reported on certain amendments to the Massachusetts Employer Medical Assistance Contribution (EMAC) rules. As we previously explained, the EMAC contributions are required of employers with more than five employees in Massachusetts.

This is the first post in a blog series exploring the U.S. Department of Labor’s recently issued final regulation governing Association Health Plans (AHPs). While AHPs can be either fully-insured or self-funded, the final regulation provides rules that are generally more useful to the former than the latter.