Category: HR Best Practices
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...
Identifying and Handling a Hostile Work Environment
Employee claims of “hostile work environments” continue to make news both in Maine and on a national level, putting potentially embarrassing and damaging workplace and employee interpersonal issues into the public eye. But when do workplace issues rise to a level where a lawsuit might ensue? What steps can...
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...
What Maine Employers Need To Know About Changes In Personnel Practices Following This Legislative Session
On June 26, 8:00-9:30 AM, we are hosting 'What Maine Employers Need To Know About Changes In Personnel Practices Following This Legislative Session' in our Portland office. During this in-person seminar, Verrill Dana and MassPay are partnering to deliver a discussion about the latest laws and regulations that were...
Our Most Recent Episodes in Our HR Law 101 Podcast Miniseries: Understanding the HR Basics
Whether you're the founder of a startup, new to HR, or are looking for a refresher on some of the basics, this podcast miniseries will provide you with the building blocks necessary to successfully achieve a healthy and compliant employer/employee relationship. In each episode, Verrill Dana labor and employment...
Maine Employers Must Cease Seeking Compensation History
On April 12, 2019, Governor Mills signed into law LD 278 , "An Act Regarding Pay Equality." Under the new laws (5 M.R.S.A. § 4577; 26 M.R.S.A. § 628-A) employers may not "use or inquire about the compensation history of a prospective employee from the prospective employee or a...
Is Your Website Accessible to Disabled Online Job Seeker?
On March 22, 2019, a federal judge permitted an Ohio man's class action lawsuit to proceed against Ford Motor Company. The lawsuit alleges the company discriminated against disabled job applicants because its online job application wasn't fully accessible. In the past, experts have advised on the importance of having...
Update on the 2019 Annual Employment Law Update
Last month, on January 31, Verrill Dana hosted its 2019 Annual Employment Law Update at the Westin Portland Harborview Hotel. The full-day conference provided employers and HR professionals with updates on recent legal developments in labor and employment law. Special guest speakers from Live + Work in Maine, Bath...
Update on the 2019 Annual Employment Law Update
Last month, on January 31, Verrill Dana hosted its 2019 Annual Employment Law Update at the Westin Portland Harborview Hotel. The full-day conference provided employers and HR professionals with updates on recent legal developments in labor and employment law. Special guest speakers from Live + Work in Maine, Bath...
Times are Changing: Verrill Dana Hosts Full-Day Conference, 2019 Annual Employment Law Update
After a year full of changes for employers paired with a new governor in Maine, Verrill Dana will reflect on recent legal developments in labor and employment law and what the new year might bring during its 2019 Annual Employment Law Update. The full-day conference will take place on...
New Episodes in our HR Law 101 Podcast Miniseries: Understanding the HR Basics
Whether you're the founder of a startup, new to HR, or are looking for a refresher on some of the basics, this podcast miniseries will provide you with the building blocks necessary to successfully achieve a healthy and compliant employer/employee relationship. In each episode, Verrill Dana labor and employment...
12 Days of HR: All I Want For Christmas Is . . . A Side Hustle?
In recent years, "side hustles" have become an increasingly common phenomenon among employees in all industries to supplement income from a "traditional" job. A key attribute of side hustles is that they are self-managed, and there are seemingly endless opportunities—from tutoring to digital design services to creating online video...
12 Days of HR: Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot, Preparing for 2019 Should Not
We're halfway through December, which means that the New Year is right around the corner. January 1st always seems to inspire a host of new goals and aspirations for the year ahead, and if you are in human resources, we have some resolutions to consider as 2019 gets ready...
12 Days of HR: Does Your Company have a “Baby It's Cold Outside” Attitude and What To Do To Change That?
In recent years, the familiar seasonal duet "Baby It's Cold Outside" has come under fire as attitudes toward appropriate interactions between men and women have changed. Originally intended as a song of "flirty" banter, it reads more "creepy", with lines like "I ought to say no, no, no sir...
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year…
That's right—with the kids jinglebelling and everyone telling you to be of good cheer, we can safely say that the holiday season is here. In years past, Verrill Dana's Labor & Employment Practice Group has celebrated by sharing festive labor and employment lessons based on the "Twelve Days of...
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas: When You Need Seasonal Hires to Stock the Toys in Every Store and More
It's no secret that the holiday seasons spark an influx of shoppers hunting for good deals and great gifts for loved ones. Although the prevalence of online shopping has exploded in the past few years, brick-and mortar-stores likewise see an influx of activity. I have to admit, I'm a...
Diversity Initiatives Versus Affirmative Action
We talk a lot about the importance of diversity in the workforce: Having a diverse group of employees. The ability to choose from a diverse group of applicants. Making a job attractive to diverse candidates. While some employers may be required under federal law to track and maintain a...
Changing Policies and Practices? Don’t Just Question if it’s Legal, Question the PR Consequences
Over the past few days, while many were preparing turkeys or throwing out lettuce, the Boston Globe posted Trouble is brewing at craft beer darling Trillium. The article is accessible here , and another article by Paste on the same subject is here , but the long and the...
After the "Epic" Decision, Webinar Explores Pros & Cons of Arbitration Agreements in Employment Contracts
Can mandatory arbitration clauses save your company time and money? Will they decrease the number of bogus claims, as well as result in better outcomes for those with genuine claims? Following the recent Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis Supreme Court decision holding that employers can enforce class action waivers...
NLRB Rules Company’s Moonlighting Ban is Unlawful
An NLRB administrative law judge has ruled that it is illegal for companies to ban employees from moonlighting without permission. In the case Nicholson Terminal & Dock Co. and Steve Lavender, NLRB Administrative Law Judge Elizabeth M. Tafe ruled that the company was unlawfully maintaining a handbook rule prohibiting...
A Podcast Miniseries, HR Law 101: Understanding the HR Basics
Whether you're the founder of a startup, new to HR, or are looking for a refresher on some of the basics, this podcast miniseries will provide you with the building blocks necessary to successfully achieve a healthy and compliant employer/employee relationship. In each episode, Verrill Dana labor and employment...
Understanding Your Sexual Harassment Training Duties
Multiple states (and some cities) have sexual harassment requirements for certain employers. Currently California , Connecticut , and Maine have training requirements in place and New York's training requirement will take effect later this year. Even if your state does not, however, require training, best practices would be to...
Dear Byron: Emojis at Work
[Letter to Byron D. Verrill, who in 1862 began the law practice known today as Verrill Dana, LLP] Dear Byron D. Verrill The other day an employee asked me what our policy is on emoji use in the office. We don't have a policy. Should we have a policy...
Time is Running Out – New Disability Claims Procedures Take Effect April 2, 2018
It has been a long time coming, but the Department of Labor's final rule regarding disability benefit claims procedures (the "Final Rule") will finally take effect on April 2, 2018. Employers need to determine which of their ERISA plans will be subject to the Final Rule and implement the...
Podcast: What Employers Need to Know about Non-Compete Agreements
As issues of covenants or agreements to not compete become increasingly prevalent in employer/employee relationships, attorney Calvin Woo discusses what employers need to know about non-compete agreements in this Verrill Voices podcast. As Calvin explains at the start of the podcast, non-compete agreements are a form of restrictive covenants...
When Employees Speak Out
On Saturday, January 6, labor and employment attorney Tawny Alvarez joined David Ciullo for a segment of HR Power Hour on News Talk WLOB radio. On the show, Tawny discussed what employers can and cannot do when employees speak out. Further, she explains the difference between free speech in...
Oops, Wrong Button. Do We Discipline for the Mistake or the Effect of the Mistake?
In the wake of last week's "oops," when a Hawaii civil defense employee sent out an Emergency Alert to those on the island which stated: "BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL" it's a good time to discuss disciplinary issues in the...
Searching for Answers: Ex-Google Employees File Suit
Yesterday, James Damore, the engineer who authored the Google Memo , which set forth his view on gender bias and diversity in technology, and who was later fired, filed a class-action lawsuit in the Santa Clara Superior Court in California. Joining him in the suit is fellow ex-employee, David...
On Air with Ken and Matt: An Employment Law Update
In case you missed it, labor and employment attorneys Benjamin Ford and Tawny Alvarez were live on air in the Newsradio WGAN studio on the morning of Friday, December 22, discussing the firm's upcoming 2018 Annual Employment Law Update on January 25 in Portland. The morning news segment with...
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