Tag: State Laws

sick

Day One or Day 90? Navigating Sick Leave Eligibility

Q: Can we uphold our employee handbook policy that states employees are eligible for sick leave after 90 days of employment, or must we adhere to state sick leave laws that say they should be eligible upon being hired? Generally, you must adhere to state sick leave laws requiring that employees be eligible for sick […]

Background Checks

Bringing on a new employee represents a significant investment for any organization. Most companies want someone who will be with them long term to get the most of their investment. Unfortunately, even with multiple rounds of interviews, it’s hard to vet someone through conversations alone. Candidates always seek to put their best foot forward and […]

Companies’ Online Recruiting Should Comply with Other State Laws

During the pandemic, both employers and employees discovered that remote work could benefit them. Allowing remote work has expanded employers’ pool of applicants nationwide. Despite the advantages of a bigger pool of candidates and cost savings, we’re beginning to see cases stemming from employers’ inadvertent violations of other states’ laws when making work available to […]

Compliance in the Pandemic

For the past few years, COVID-19 has been a constant stressor. For businesses, there is some uncertainty around how to best handle the pandemic from a legal standpoint.

No Recognition for 47 Years

“Soft stuff gets hard results,” says David Novak, Chairman and CEO, Yum! Brands, speaking of the power of recognition. He ought to know, as he’s in charge of recognizing 1.4 million associates in over 40,000 KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell restaurants in 125 countries.

Federal government eases stance on state marijuana laws

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announcement updating the federal marijuana enforcement policy means the federal government won’t sue to keep states from allowing controlled recreational use of marijuana, but the effect on employers isn’t yet clear. The DOJ announced on August 29 that it was revising its policy because of state legislation in Colorado […]

Ruling supports firing pot smokers despite Colorado law

The Colorado Court of Appeals has upheld an employee’s firing for off-duty marijuana use, despite medical and recreational use of the drug being allowed under state law. A quadriplegic employee who used marijuana under the state’s medical marijuana amendment filed a lawsuit after he tested positive for drugs in violation of company policy and was […]

New Tennessee law prohibits local mandates on pay, benefits

by Kara Shea On April 11, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed into law a bill prohibiting local governments from mandating health insurance benefits, leave policies, hourly wage standards, or prevailing wage standards that deviate from existing requirements of state and federal law as a condition of doing business with or within the jurisdiction of the […]

North Dakota employers need to be ready for new smoking law

by Lisa Edison-Smith North Dakota employers need to take steps to comply with a new antismoking law that will take effect on December 6, 2012. On November 6, voters approved Measure 4 by a 2-1 margin. The law “prohibit[s] smoking, including the use of electronic smoking devices, in public places and most places of employment […]

Top Employment Issues for States in 2009: Part 2 – FMLA, Discrimination, Minimum Wage, Safety

Last week, we discussed four employment law issues state legislatures will be grappling with in 2009 — layoff notification laws, immigration, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and it’s state equivalents, and unemployment benefits. This week, we’ll discuss four more – family and medical leave, workplace discrimination, minimum wage, and occupational safety. As with last […]