November 19, 2019
Responsiveness to an employee’s complaint about workplace concerns not only enables the employer to gather the best information, it also provides the employer with the opportunity to resolve internal problems before they become widespread. Given every complaint could turn into litigation, a well-planned and documented investigation can be an employer’s best defense.
November 11, 2019
Veterans Day is a good time to refresh employers on the federal rights entitled to their employees who serve our country in the uniformed services. U.S. employees who take leave from their civilian jobs to serve in the armed services have certain reinstatement rights to their jobs under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).
September 24, 2019
The U.S. Department of Labor released a final rule today providing that employees who make less than $35,568 are now eligible for overtime pay.
September 20, 2019
BBC published an interesting article recently that challenges how many of us view work. Jill Duffy, in her article, “What wartime ‘munitionettes’ can teach us about burnout,” asserts continuous overworking hurts employees and employers because it leads to less productive employees in addition to making them vulnerable to a number of health issues.
September 12, 2019
As students return to school, employers should be mindful of a new U.S. Department of Labor opinion letter impacting when a parent may use qualifying intermittent FMLA leave.
August 27, 2019
Most employers run background checks on prospective employees when hiring. Some employers have policies in place that allow them to conduct background checks on current employees. Below are several examples of instances in which employers may choose to do so:
August 13, 2019
A recent Pennsylvania case provides a good reminder that retaliation claims can arise long after an employee is no longer employed and that employers need to keep potential retaliation claims in mind when responding to reference checks on former employees.
August 08, 2019
Each year, Area Development conducts a survey of site selection consultants to determine what factors are most important to companies looking to expand or relocate. Its 2018 survey identified state and local incentives as the fifth most important factor, behind skilled labor availability, proximity to major markets, highway accessibility, and labor costs. Those findings are consistent with the widely recognized view among economic development professionals that incentives alone will not bring a project to a community, but for competitive projects, they can be a key differentiator.
July 30, 2019
President Trump has nominated Eugene Scalia, son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, to head the United States Department of Labor. Scalia will replace Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta, who stepped down amid controversy. Mr. Scalia will have to be confirmed by the United States Senate before officially taking office.
July 23, 2019
In our recent employment law seminar, we discussed OSHA’s new drone initiative and how the use of drones will impact HR. Here are some key takeaways regarding drone usage.
July 16, 2019
In our recent employment law seminar, we discussed how to manage employees who are authorized to post on the company’s social media accounts. Here are some key points to focus on when allowing employees access to your company’s social media accounts.
July 01, 2019
The South Carolina General Assembly approved H. 3602 this session which amends Section 44-66-30, the Adult Healthcare Consent Act, to allow persons who have an “established relationship” with a patient to provide medical consent for that patient.
June 20, 2019
The United States Supreme Court will decide three cases in October 2019 to determine if Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act guarantees protections from workplace discrimination and harassment to employees on the basis of gender identity or sexual preference.
June 04, 2019
The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced that it reached a settlement with an agricultural company located in California. The settlement concludes an investigation into whether the company discriminated against workers based on their legal status in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
May 21, 2019
South Carolina was ranked earlier this year by the Domestic Violence Advisory Committee as “the nation’s sixth-worst state” among the rates of women murdered by men.