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.
Support for the Black Lives Matter Movement: Third-Party Intervention Training
This is the fifth post in a 12-part series on how companies can show support for the Black Lives Matter movement by changing company policies and practices. This post focuses on the importance of third-party intervention training for employees and managers so that they have tools and resources to...
This Week's Show: Mental Resiliency in the Workplace
On Saturday, June 27, Tawny interviewed Kate Simpson, Co-author and Developer of Take Two: A Journal of New Beginnings , for this segment of HR Power Hour. For this episode, Kate and Tawny discuss building resilience at work, specifically how the Take Two journal came about and how it...
OSHA Publishes Return-to-Work Guidance; Reminder to be Mindful of Employee Medical Record Retention
OSHA has published Guidance on Returning to Work to assist employers in understanding their obligations under OSHA as they continue the process of re-opening and returning employees to work. Employers should review this document in conjunction with state and local regulations concerning re-opening, as well as the CDC Guidance...
Support for the Black Lives Matter Movement: Implicit Bias Training (Part 4 of 12)
This is the fourth post in a 12-part series on how companies can show support for the black lives matter (BLM) movement by changing company policies and practices. This post focuses on implicit bias and the effect it has on the work environment and choices that leaders can make...
This Week's Show: Overcoming Intercultural Issues in the Workplace
On Saturday, May 16, Tawny interviewed Liz Greason, Co-Owner of Maine Intercultural Communication Consultants, LLC, for this segment of HR Power Hour. For this episode, Liz and Tawny discuss overcoming intercultural issues in the workplace. She lived in the Middle East for many years, where she taught students from...
This Week's Show: Learning From Your Failures
On Saturday, June 13, Tawny interviewed Robert Baldacci, MPA of Baldacci Consulting, for this segment of HR Power Hour. For this episode, Robert and Tawny discuss his history and learning from failures. Bob brings a successful 30 year career in real estate, development and corporate finance. He has held...
Supporting the Black Lives Matter Movement: Anti-Discrimination Training (Part 3 of 12)
This is the third post in a 12-part series on how companies can support the Black Lives Matter movement through changes in company policies and practices. Our last post focused on reviewing and updating your EEO Policies. In this post we will focus on best practices in training managers...
Supporting the Black Lives Matter Movement: Update EEOC Policies (Part 2 of 12)
This is the second post in a 12-part series on how companies can show true support for the Black Lives Matter movement by changing company policies and practices. The focus of this post is to understand the role that a company’s EEOC policy plays in creating a safe work...
Showing True Support for the Black Lives Matter Movement Means Changing Company Policies
Statements of inclusion and solidarity with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement by companies are important, but not enough. What are some steps that you as a business owner or HR leader can do to change and implement policies that can lead to actual change? If you don’t already...
This Week's Show: Don't Forget General Obligations When Focusing On COVID-19
On Saturday, May 9, Tawny interviewed Elizabeth Johnston, Associate in Verrill's Employment & Labor Group, for this segment of HR Power Hour. For this episode, Liz and Tawny discuss the importance of not forgetting employers' general obligations in the midst of COVID-19. A regular contributor to Verrill’s Taking Care...
Can I Require Employees to be Tested for COVID-19 Before Entering the Workplace?
Yesterday, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published guidance in response to this question and the agency’s answer was yes—“an employer may choose to administer COVID-19 testing to employees before they enter the workplace to determine if they have the virus.” (See Q. A.6). The EEOC noted that under...
This Week's Show: Intellectual Property for HR Professionals
On Saturday, April 18, Tawny interviewed Kelly Donahue, Partner in Verrill's Intellectual Property Group, for this segment of HR Power Hour. For this episode, Kelly and Tawny discuss intellectual property for HR professionals, including delving into trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and patents. Kelly assists small and large businesses in...
This Week's Show: The FFCRA and CARES Act
On Saturday, April 4, Tawny interviewed Benjamin Ford, Partner in Verrill's Employment & Labor Group, for this segment of HR Power Hour. For this episode, Ben and Tawny discuss the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic based on information currently available. Topics covered include recent CARES Act and FFCRA...
Hiring During the COVID-19 Pandemic: What You Can Do
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, business—and hiring—must go on. As the EEOC continues to update its guidance regarding employment practices during the pandemic, here are common questions regarding how to implement legally-sound hiring practices while protecting your workplace. Q: May I screen job applicants for COVID-19, and if so...
To Test or Not to Test: Employer Considerations Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Q: I am concerned about employees coming to work with a fever—can I test employees’ temperatures before allowing them to work to avoid spreading the coronavirus? Verrill’s View: Maybe—but there are many factors to consider. Generally, taking an employee’s temperature would be a restricted medical examination, but employers may...
This Week's Show: Maintaining a Strong Culture as Your Organization Grows
On Saturday, March 7, Tawny interviewed Sean Riley, President and CEO of Maine Course Hospitality Group, for this segment of HR Power Hour. In this episode, Sean discusses that Maine Course's purpose is to positively impact lives. He speaks of the company's purpose and values every chance he gets...
This Week's Show: Verrill's 2020 Annual Employment Law Update
On Saturday, February 22, HR Power Hour published our live interviews at our 2020 Annual Employment Law Update, asking attendees about the all-day event, HR concerns they have for the coming year, and more. Tawny interviewed Eric Altholz, Partner in the Employee Benefits Group at Verrill. She talked to...
This Week's Show: Top 5 OSHA Mistakes Employers Make
On Saturday, February 8, Tawny interviewed Mat Todaro, Partner in Verrill's Environmental & Land Use Practice Group, for this segment of HR Power Hour. For this episode, Mat details the top 5 OSHA mistakes that employers typically make. Mat works closely with clients in many areas, including assisting them...
Podcast: The Legal Perspective of Creating a Respectful and Inclusive Workplace
It's important to remind yourselves that human resource law is ever-changing and it takes acknowledging your organization's environment to be sure it is an inclusive and comfortable place for your employees. In this episode of Verrill Voices, employment and labor attorney Tawny Alvarez discusses how organizations with respectful and...
This Week's Show: Space and Design in the HR World
Announcement: Employment and labor attorney Tawny Alvarez now co-hosts the educational HR radio show, HR Power Hour with David Ciullo! On Saturday, January 11, Tawny interviewed Jeana Stewart, NCIDQ, LEED AP, and workplace studio leader of SMRT Architects and Engineers, for this segment of HR Power Hour. Jeana gives...
Annual Employment Law Update: HR 2020 - Vision for the Future
Foresight is 2020 - join Verrill's Employment & Labor Group on Thursday, January 30 at The Westin Portland Harborview Hotel for a full day of programming highlighting the most significant changes for employers in 2019 and a look into what's to come in 2020, as well as hot topics...
Wage and Hour Update for the New Year
With the New Year comes changes in many state and federal wage and hour laws. Do you operate in a state that has recently experienced a raise in the minimum wage? It is always best practice to check out your state’s Department of Labor website for the most up-to-date...
2019 Wrap Up: Tis the season to be jolly...and anxious...and depressed
Mental Health and Employment Law now and in 2020
The last decade has brought with it a significant increase in the number of claims stemming from allegations of discrimination or retaliation as a result of mental health conditions. While we often see an increase in anxiety and depression around the holidays, the mental health of employees is an...
This Week's Show: How the Sudden Death of a Business Owner Impacts Leadership and Family
On Saturday, December 14, Tawny interviewed Jason Maxwell, Founder and CEO of MassPay HR & Payroll Solutions, for this segment of HR Power Hour. During this episode, Jason tells the tragic story of a close friend's death, who was also a business owner. Jason goes into detail about the...
A Webinar for Home Care Companies
Are you a home care company and wondering about wage and hour differences and electronic visit verification? In this webinar, Verrill's employment and labor attorney Tawny Alvarez and Masspay's HR Generalist Amanda Bridge discuss prevalent wage and hour violations, electronic visit verification, and serious implications for the home care...
A Podcast Miniseries for Your HR Needs: HR Law 101
In case you missed it, here is a recap of our Verrill Voices podcast series, HR Law 101: Understanding the HR Basics, hosted by employment and labor attorney Tawny Alvarez. Each episode is intended to provide startup entrepreneurs and HR newcomers with a strong foundational knowledge of the laws...
Overtime Update to Have Wide Reaching Effect on Employers
Today, September, 24, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule to increase the salary threshold necessary to remain an exempt employee. The change is estimated to affect 1.3 million American workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Below is a synopsis of the facts embodying...
EEOC Announces EEO-1 Component 2 Pay Data Collection WON'T Be Renewed
Yesterday, September 11, 2019, the EEOC announced that it will not seek to renew collection of EEO-1 Component 2 Data for 2019, 2020, and 2021. This does not impact employer's current EEO-1 obligations to file Component 2 Data due on September 30, 2019. In the publication the EEOC admitted...
The Sharpie and Employment Litigation Documentation
The last week has been filled with news broadcasts, jokes, and general discussion of the use of a Sharpie to extend the path of movement of Hurricane Dorian in a map presented during a news broadcast given by President Donald Trump. What, you may ask, does this have to...
Summer Break - Massachusetts Employers Get Extension on Paid Family and Medical Leave Implementation
Those closely following the timeline for implementation of Massachusetts's new Paid Family and Medical Leave, are aware that on July 1, 2019, employers were required to begin to make payroll deductions for the paid leave. Did you see the "were," in that last sentence. That is not a typo...
- Page 1 of 6