Labor & Employment Law Update

“Do I have to let my employees work from home?”  With technological advances and with market demand for flexible work arrangements constantly increasing, the question comes up all of the time. 

Generally speaking, the answer is no. Some positions just don’t translate to working remotely. For example, an auto mechanic or a doctor certainly cannot perform their job from their kitchen table. On the other hand, other positions, such as many white-collar office positions, can be well suited for remote work arrangements.  

The key in allowing remote work is to communicate expectations ...

Last Fall, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced that it intended to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in March 2019 regarding the salary levels applicable to the executive, administrative and professional exemptions that exclude certain employees from the coverage of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage and overtime provisions. The DOL has been reviewing the regulations at 29 CFR 541, which implement the exemptions, and is expected to seek public comment on the salary level before issuing a final rule.

Of course, we all recall the most recent final rule on ...

In a pair of rulings handed down on Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court expanded the reach of the Missouri Human Rights Act (“MHRA”) to encompass, under certain circumstances, LGBTQ individuals and additional types of evidence that can support MHRA discrimination and retaliation claims. Both cases – Lampley, et al v. Missouri Comm’n on Human Rights, et al and R.M.A., et al v. Blue Springs R-IV Sch. Dist., et al – should have a significant impact on employers in Missouri and how they evaluate the risks of employment actions against LGBTQ individuals moving forward.

As with most things in life, you should hope for the best, but plan for the worst in the event that a valued employee leaves to join a competitor. This post contains some helpful tips to keep in mind following such a move by a key employee.

I.   Stay On Good Terms With The Former Employee Whenever Possible

Once your employee announces that he or she is making the jump to a competitor, ending the relationship on amicable terms can benefit you down the road. It may very well turn out that the employee’s experience and knowledge of past or ongoing projects become critical to the resolution of a ...

You may not remember… in 2013, then Governor Quinn signed into law an amendment to Illinois’ Prevailing Wage Act (IPWA) which sort of redefined what the PREVAILING WAGE RATE meant by adding one little word.  Effective January 1, 2014, the IPWA defined “general prevailing rate of hourly wages” as hourly cash wages plus ANNUALIZED fringe benefits.  By inserting the word ANNUALIZED, the law arguably changed. 

For years, many contractors paid the prevailing wage fringe benefits as cash sums added to the employee paycheck based on prevailing wage hours only. Some contractors ...

One of the biggest challenges faced by health care providers is ensuring proper documentation in patient charts. Shortcomings in charting can result in lost revenue due to third party payers’ assigning a lower CPT code or refusing to pay a claim. Even worse, poor charting may prompt an equally poor survey result. 

Convincing employees to stay on top of charting can be difficult and frustrating but taking appropriate action against those who fail to do so and documenting that action is critical. A recent decision by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin ...

Over 33 states and 150 cities, counties and municipalities have enacted Ban-the Box laws that prohibit employers from asking about an applicant’s criminal record or criminal history prior to the applicant being selected for an interview or, if there is no interview, prior to a conditional offer of employment.

But did you know that Ban-the-Box laws can also impact your job posting or advertisement?

Yes, these laws can, and much like the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Ban the Box laws are being used by “professional plaintiffs” to go ...

The flu virus circulates all year round, although according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu activity historically peaks in February. Here are a couple of flu-related questions frequently asked by employers:

Is an employee entitled to FMLA for absences due to the flu?

Maybe. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides covered employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave during a 12 month period if the employee has a “serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform” his or her job.  A serious health condition is an illness that involves ...

The changes anticipated after the Illinois elections are steadily moving forward. On Thursday, February 8, 2019, the Senate passed Senate Bill 0001 (SB0001).  SB0001 has now moved on to the House of Representatives and been assigned to the Labor & Commerce Committee. The word is that the House of Representatives is looking to vote on this within the next week and if passed move it on to the Governor for signature within the next two weeks.  With the change in administrations, it is safe to say that it is only a matter of time before SB0001, or another bill increasing the minimum wage, is ...

On January 23, 2019, an en banc panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Age Discrimination in Employment Act’s (ADEA) disparate impact protections do not apply to job applicants.    

By way of background, 58-year-old Dale Kleber applied for CareFusion’s posting seeking an attorney with “3 to 7 years (no more than 7 years) of relevant legal experience.” Kleber had more experience than that, but instead of hiring Kleber, CareFusion hired a 29-year-old within the given experience range. There are a few key takeaways from this decision:

First, an en ...