Emma counsels clients on a wide variety of employment issues and litigates employment disputes before state and federal courts and administrative agencies. Her litigation practice includes restrictive covenant agreements; discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation claims; and wage and hour compliance.
Emma regularly advises clients on compliance with federal, state, and local laws, including changes in Massachusetts non-compete laws and leave entitlements. Her practice also encompasses assisting clients with terminations and reductions in force, WARN notifications, workplace investigations, employee classifications, and employee handbooks and policies. She is a regular contributor to the employment group’s blog, covering topics such as the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act and Parental Leave compliance.
Emma has been engaged in a number of the firm’s pro bono initiatives, including the asylum and immigration practice and the Domestic Violence Project.
Education
- Boston College (JD)
- Wesleyan University (BA)
Recent Insights
Viewpoints
News & Press
Mintz Associate Emma Follansbee was quoted in an article published by EHS Today on legal considerations for employers as they educate and inform their employees of rapidly evolving news regarding the global Coronavirus outbreak.
Mintz Associate Emma Follansbee was quoted in an article published by Bloomberg Law on legal considerations for employers as they take steps to safeguard workers from the global Coronavirus outbreak.
Events
Please join us for a webinar discussing what actions employers need to take now to comply with the Massachusetts Paid Family & Medical Leave (MAPFML).
Please join us for a webinar discussing what actions employers need to take now to comply with the Massachusetts Paid Family & Medical Leave (MAPFML).
Viewpoints
Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave Finalizes Revised Regulations: Here’s What You Need to Know
August 13, 2020 | Blog | By Patricia Moran, Natalie C. Groot, Emma Follansbee
Under the Massachusetts Paid Family Leave Law, M.G.L. c. 175M (“MAPFML ”), employees and other covered individuals in the Commonwealth will be entitled to a generous set of new leave benefits and rights beginning January 1, 2021. On July 24, 2020 , the Department of Family and Medical Leave (the Department) issued updated MAPFML regulations effective July 24, 2020 (the “2020 Regulations”). These regulations make several key changes to the MAPFML regulations issued in 2019 (the “2019 Regulations”). In our companion post, we cover the key changes between the 2019 Regulations and the 2020 Regulations. This post examines, in depth, changes affecting the MAPFML “Private Plan” exemption pathway.
Read more
Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave 2020 Regulations – Focus on the Private Plan Exemption
August 13, 2020 | Blog | By Patricia Moran, Natalie C. Groot, Emma Follansbee
Under the Massachusetts Paid Family Leave Law, M.G.L. c. 175M (“MAPFML”), employees and other covered individuals in the Commonwealth will be entitled to a generous set of new leave benefits and rights beginning January 1, 2021. The Department of Family and Medical Leave (the “Department”) recently issued updated MAPFML regulations, effective July 24, 2020 (the “2020 Regulations”). These regulations make several key changes to the MAPFML regulations issued in 2019 (the “2019 Regulations”). In our companion post, we cover the key changes between the 2019 Regulations and the 2020 Regulations. This post examines, in depth, changes affecting the MAPFML “Private Plan” exemption pathway.
Read more
The WARN Act and COVID-19: What are Employers Obligated to Do?
May 14, 2020 | Blog | By Delaney Busch, Emma Follansbee
Facing the many challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, employers are considering their obligations to their workforce in the event of a reduction in force related to COVID-19 (“COVID-19”). This post provides an overview of an employer’s WARN Act obligations in the event a COVID-19-related closure or reduction in force.
Read more
Part Two of the COVID-19 Roadmap Series: Creating a COVID-19 Operations Infrastructure
April 27, 2020 | Blog | By Emma Follansbee
With the reopening of the economy on the horizon, employers are looking ahead to welcoming employees back to the traditional workplace. Business operations will look vastly different during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In Part 2 of our Roadmap Series, we outline important operational planning steps and actions employers can take now to successfully and safely bring employees back to the workplace. Future posts in this series will address many of these issues more in-depth, so be sure to stay tuned.
Read more
Coronavirus Continues to Spread: What Employers Should Be Doing
February 27, 2020 | Blog | By Emma Follansbee
In light of the Coronavirus’s continued impact in the workplace, this post reviews the CDC’s newly issued guidelines for businesses, and dives deeper into how employers can lawfully navigate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), sick time laws, and other leave laws, while maintaining the safety of their workforce.
Read more
Coronavirus Outbreak Causes Employers to Consider Precautionary Steps
January 28, 2020 | Blog | By Emma Follansbee
The recent outbreak of the Coronavirus in Wuhan, China, which has spread to the United States with new cases being reported every day, has the global community on high alert. While employers would be wise to leave the containment and treatment of the virus to medical experts, disease outbreaks present a unique set of employment law issues for many businesses, especially for those that require international travel as an essential job function for their employees. This post addresses some of the employment issues raised by the Coronavirus outbreak. (Note: we recognize events on the ground are fluid, and therefore will update this post as necessary.)
Read more
Breaking News: Three Month Delay for Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave
June 12, 2019 | Blog | By Emma Follansbee
Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Law – Focus on the Employer “Private Plan” Exemption
May 22, 2019 | Blog | By Patricia Moran, Emma Follansbee
This post summarizes the requirements of MAPFML and outlines the requirements of the private plan exemptions. We also explain some of the obstacles employers who hope to take advantage of the exemption are likely to encounter.
Read more
Breaking News: Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Law – Workforce Notice Requirements and Private Plan Exemptions Deadlines Extended
May 2, 2019 | Alert | By Patricia Moran, Emma Follansbee
On May 1, 2019, the Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (the “Department”) issued guidance (the “May 1 Guidance”) extending two key deadlines applicable to the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Law (MAPMFL).
Read more
Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Part 2: Key Differences in the Revised Regulations
April 11, 2019 | Blog | By Emma Follansbee
In our last blog post on Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (“MAPFML”), we reviewed the Department of Family and Medical Leave’s (the “Department”) draft regulations published in January 2019 and outlined some of the questions left unanswered by the then-current regulations. Since January, the Department has held a number of listening sessions throughout the Commonwealth soliciting comments and feedback on the draft regulations. On March 29, 2019, the Department published revised draft regulations for public comment and hearing. The regulations are set to be finalized on July 1, 2019, which is also the effective date of MAPFML and the commencement date for payroll deductions from employee paychecks.
Read more
News & Press
Employers Confront the Coronavirus
February 3, 2020
Mintz Associate Emma Follansbee was quoted in an article published by EHS Today on legal considerations for employers as they educate and inform their employees of rapidly evolving news regarding the global Coronavirus outbreak.
Coronavirus Forces Employers to Act with Caution in Workplace
January 30, 2020
Mintz Associate Emma Follansbee was quoted in an article published by Bloomberg Law on legal considerations for employers as they take steps to safeguard workers from the global Coronavirus outbreak.
Events
Speaker
Sep
24
2020
Action Required: Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (MAPFML)
View the Webinar Recording
Speaker
Mar
20
2020
COVID-19 and the Workplace: Guidance Regarding Employment and Benefits Issues Facing Employers Now
View the Webinar Recording
Speaker
Aug
16
2018