Employers rely on restrictive covenants to protect their legitimate business interests, such as confidential information and client relationships. But what happens when these restrictions go too far? Do employers lose all protection afforded by their…
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It’s the bane of many employers’ existence. How much paid time off do I have to give? How much should I give? Can I place strings on it? Blackout dates? Two-week notice requirement? Probationary periods? Sick time or vacation? Does it matter? Emp…
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Employers work hard to preserve the exempt status of employees whose duties meet an exempt category under the Fair Labor Standards Act and who are paid on a salary basis. Common sense tells us that paying an employee on a “salary basis” means tha…
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Can a company discipline, or even terminate, an employee who misbehaves outside of work? Here’s the scenario: a warehouse operations supervisor at a Maryland distribution company disciplines an employee for repeated safety violations and insubordin…
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We live in a data-driven and informational world. It is no surprise, then, that for many companies, the most valuable asset is information. Think customer lists, pricing strategies, internal business processes, and proprietary technology. This inform…
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“This employment is at-will, which means either party can terminate it at any time, for any reason, or for no reason at all.” This is a standard clause that we routinely draft in employment agreements, and iterate in handbooks, in big, bold lette…
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Restrictive covenants are important tools for protecting client relationships, confidential information, and competitive positioning. But in recent years they have faced increased scrutiny—particularly non-competes—exposing businesses to unnecess…
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If you are anything like many employers, your reaction upon hearing the term “reasonable accommodation” will mirror the stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, testing, and finally acceptance. Denial: “You want me to change our…
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Employers invest significant time and resources in hiring and training employees, developing clients, and designing proprietary business information. Because of this significant investment, employers need tools to protect their business interests, cl…
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You receive an HR complaint from an employee. It could be someone unhappy with how their manager has been speaking with them, or it could be a manager feeling like their direct report is harassing them, or it could be an employee who brought up safet…
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