Blog Posts: Taking Care of HR Business
Visit the Full BlogHuman resource professionals, supervisors, and company executives alike face a constantly changing and evolving legal landscape. Verrill's Taking Care of HR Business blog is here to keep you up to date on the newest and most important legal developments for employers.
Should You Be Paying Overtime to Your Office Staff?
Office workers who perform receptionist, secretarial, and other administrative tasks often are incorrectly classified as exempt from overtime pay because they receive a salary and have job titles such as "executive assistant." However, such employees will not necessarily be found exempt from the requirement to pay overtime merely because...
How to Break Up With An Employee: 10 Tips for Avoiding Claims and Liability
As with other types of relationships, breaking up with an employee is seldom easy. And employee terminations result in more lawsuits than any other employment action. Employers should keep the following 10 tips in mind when handling employee terminations in order to reduce the risk of legal claims and...
“Policies to Guide Employee Conduct and Respond to Misconduct,” a chapter in MCLE’s Drafting Employment Documents in Massachusetts
Scott Connolly , partner in Verrill’s Employment & Labor Group, has authored the chapter “Policies to Guide Employee Conduct and Respond to Misconduct” in MCLE’s book, Drafting Employment Documents in Massachusetts (4th Edition 2021). The book is published by MCLE and is an essential resource for Massachusetts employers, employment...
Employer Obligations under the Revised Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201)
On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “Act”) in response to COVID-19. Among other provisions, the Act gives a broad group of employees the right to emergency paid sick leave and also expands protections under the Family and Medical Leave...
2019 Wrap Up: 10 Points for Reviewing Executive Employment Agreements
As 2019 ends and 2020 begins, many executives and their employers may be entering into, amending and revising, or renewing employment agreements. It is important for both sides to get it right. An executive’s employment agreement will define expectations regarding role, responsibilities, and performance. It also will establish key...
2019 Wrap Up: States Continue to Limit the Enforceability of Employee Non-Competition Agreements
Most employers use contracts to protect their customer relationships and proprietary information from unfair competition by employees. They must. If they do not, they may lose their ownership rights in such business interests. If, for example, an employee is given access to an employer’s trade secrets without first being...
Certain Bonuses Must Be Included When Calculating Overtime Pay
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) generally requires that nonexempt employees who work more than 40 hours in a workweek be paid 1.5 times their “regular rate” for the hours above 40. Calculating overtime pay is simple if the employee receives only a basic hourly rate as compensation...
Five Employment Law Traps For CFOs Tasked with HR Oversight
Overseeing human resources -- a hat that many CFOs wear -- may mean having to make crucial decisions about hiring and policy, performance management and discipline, and employee terminations. Such decisions may affect HR expenses and employee morale, and also may expose the company to the risk of expensive...
Tip: Administrative Assistants Only Rarely Are Exempt From Overtime Pay
Office workers who perform secretarial, receptionist and other administrative tasks are often incorrectly classified as exempt from overtime pay because they receive a salary and have job titles such as "executive assistant." These employees; however, will not necessarily be found exempt from the requirement to pay overtime merely because...
