Questions about employee monitoring, especially electronic monitoring, come up regularly these days. Monitoring can involve email, computer log-in history, surveillance cameras, GPS devices, and various types of production metrics. Care is necessary, however, not to run afoul of various labor and privacy laws.
Why do employers implement monitoring policies? Reasons
New Year, new legislation — California and New York are leading the way in restricting certain “stay-or-pay” provisions in employment contracts. These types of provisions are relatively common. For example, an employer may offer a signing bonus with the proviso that the incentive would be clawed back if the employee leaves before a specified period
As the year comes to a close, year-end performance reviews are in full swing. While these reviews may not be everyone’s favorite part of the job, they remain an important tool to support workplace development. This year, take a moment to revisit some best practices for conducting fair, effective performance reviews — and why these
If an employee complains about a sexually suggestive picture circulating in the workplace that looks like her but is not, is that a hostile work environment complaint? It might be. In Lillian Carranza v. City of Los Angeles, a California appeals court recently upheld a $4 million verdict for a former Los Angeles Police
In, Stanley v. City of Sanford, Florida, the U.S. Supreme Court clarified the scope of the Americans with Disabilities Act, holding that Title I’s employment discrimination provisions do not apply to individuals who are retired and no longer hold or seek employment. The decision, a 7-2 majority written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, gives employers
If the NLRB finds that you have committed an unfair labor practice (and maybe more than once), just what can it do? In Noah’s Ark Processors, a three-member panel of the board recently took an opportunity to pronounce available punishments for repeat labor offenders, and it was not shy. An administrative law judge determined
With historically low unemployment rates, attracting and retaining top talent can be a challenge for employers. To distinguish themselves from the pack, many companies are considering tuition assistance programs to both develop their workforce and as a benefit to attract and retain talented employees. Although the offer of student loan assistance might give you a
Does your company use fingerprinting or some facial recognition scanner as part of its clock-in, clock-out process? If your company has facilities or even some contacts with Illinois (and maybe other states in the future) you should pay heed to Illinois’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) that is the subject of a new class action
Just when you thought you had the rules down for when and how long an employee has to quarantine, the CDC changes the rules. Or has it? In its guidance, When You Can Be Around Others After You Had or Likely Had COVID-19 (updated on December 1, 2020), the CDC hasn’t really changed its tune.
We are two months into the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a handful of states are starting to ease restrictions. With relaxation of the rules, employers are developing plans to re-open and bring employees back to the workplace. As this flurry of planning takes place, the focus (rightfully so) will be on keeping employees