Thomas Raine

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The EEOC Final Rule on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Takes Effect

Ver la versión en español aquí. Starting today, June 18, 2024, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will enforce new regulations under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). With this in mind, employers should familiarize themselves with the EEOC’s final rule and interpretive guidance to better understand their obligations under the PWFA and how the … Continue Reading

Take the Off-the-Shelf Employment Agreements… Off the Shelf

Ver la versión en español aquí This is your reminder — always have counsel review and revise every agreement before offering it to an employee.  A number of new decisions and laws have made many standard employment agreements, restrictive covenant agreements, separation agreements, and settlement agreements completely unenforceable.  Below are a few examples…… Continue Reading

Florida’s New Anti-Vaccine Mandate Law

Ver la versión en español aquí On November 18, 2021, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 1B into law, which creates Fla. Stat. 381.00317 and imposes new limitations on private employers’ ability to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations in the workplace. The law is effective immediately, and now Florida employers must adapt. Here is what you need … Continue Reading

The 4-Day Workweek May Not Be A Pipe Dream After All…

Ver la versión en español aquí In our “Breaking Through the Noise” segment, my peers and I discussed our predictions for the future of the workforce (if you want to hear our thoughts, go to timestamp 1:57:54-2:16:49).  One of the trends we discussed was the potential shift to more flexible schedules, including the 4-day workweek. … Continue Reading

Florida Provides Sweeping Pandemic Liability Protection for Businesses

Ver la versión en español aquí During this pandemic, Florida businesses are caught between a rock and hard place.  If they open too soon, they risk lawsuits from customers claiming they acquired COVID-19 at their business.  If they remain closed or operate at limited capacity, they face the possibility of going out of business.  Fortunately, … Continue Reading

Is Sex Addiction Discrimination a Thing?

Ver la versión en español aquí The first time I heard the term “sex addiction” was in 2010, when Tiger Woods announced to the public that he would be stepping away from the PGA Tour to attend rehab. The announcement shook the sports world and sparked a conversation about an addiction that seemed to only … Continue Reading

Even Stuck at Home, Humans are Still the Best Recruiters

Ver la versión en español aquí COVID-19 has thrown a wrench into every employer’s near-term plans. While many companies have temporarily shut down, and many others have put hiring on hold, some employers will have to kickstart their hiring efforts as the economy begins to reopen. Data shows that the stay-at-home economy created a surge … Continue Reading

DOL Tells Employers: No Need to Include Many Employee Perks When Calculating Overtime

Ver la versión en español aquí For the first time in 50 years, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) updated the “regular rate” of pay standard used for overtime calculations. Why does this matter? Under the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a nonexempt hourly employee must be paid “time and one-half” of their “regular … Continue Reading

LGBTQ Rights in Employment: Does it Boil Down to the “Bathroom Use” Question Again?

Ver la versión en español aquí When the first transgender discrimination case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, Chief Justice Roberts asked, “What do we do about bathrooms?” Now, The Supreme Court has been asked the question: Does Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex discrimination at work, apply to discrimination … Continue Reading

Automation and the ADA

Ver la versión en español aquí With rapid automation there comes a tipping point for the need of humans in the workplace. Automation will become so pervasive that companies will need to cobble together remaining job duties into hybrid job positions to be performed by the remaining human employees. Is this the future? No, it’s … Continue Reading

Pay for Travel Time? The Scenic Route to Work Won’t Cost You

Ver la versión en español aquí Employers often wonder when they should be paying hourly employees for their travel time and the answer may not always be straightforward. Broadly speaking, federal wage and hour laws require that employers compensate employees for the hours they spend traveling for work-related activities. But the law makes several distinctions … Continue Reading

Religious Discrimination: Gone Today, Hair Tomorrow

Ver la versión en español aquí As an update to this post from April, New York recently became the second state to prohibit race discrimination based on hair bias. The bill, signed into law on July 12: Prohibits race discrimination based on natural hair or hairstyles; defines “race” for certain specific purposes to include, but … Continue Reading

Biometric Time Keeping and Employee Tracking – Thumbs Up or Down?

Ver la versión en español aquí Unless you recently woke up from a cryogenic slumber, your biometric information is out there. In today’s world, devices scan our palms before taking standardized tests. We unlock our phones with our fingers and our face. And we bicker with our named audio speakers in order to turn down … Continue Reading

An Ounce of Benefits is Worth a Pound of Pay

Ver la versión en español aquí The United States is currently nearing full employment with the unemployment rate under 4%. Such a hypercompetitive labor market calls for innovation and creativity in luring and retaining top talent. A new study that sheds light on how employees value benefits may help employers maximize the “bang for the … Continue Reading

Gambling at Work: Everybody Out of the (Office) Pool

With Super Bowl LIII this Sunday and March Madness fast approaching, it is important to consider the impact of office pools on the workplace. Office pools can build workplace morale and improve employee relationships, not to mention add a little fun to the typical workday. Yet they remain illegal in many states, including Florida.  In … Continue Reading

You Fire Your HR Manager for Encouraging Employees to Sue. No Problem, right? Think Again.

Ver la versión en español aquí Imagine this. You hire an HR manager to investigate and resolve internal employee complaints.  You later learn that instead of doing her job, the HR manager is encouraging employees to file Charges of Discrimination and even referring employees to “her” lawyer.  During this time period, the HR manager also … Continue Reading

Kiwis Will Have the Protection of Paid Domestic Violence Leave. What About Floridians?

Ver la versión en español aquí In April 2019, New Zealand employers will be required to provide victims of domestic violence 10 days of paid leave. The purpose of the paid leave is to allow domestic violence victims to relocate, seek legal help, and address their trauma without fear of losing their income. In Florida, … Continue Reading

Baseball’s Winter of Discontent

Ver la versión en español aquí What can we learn from Major League Baseball’s currently unemployed players? Employee satisfaction has become increasingly important as employees expect fulfillment in their careers (both financially and with work-life balance programs and benefits). Whether unionized or not, it is important to analyze a company’s culture and the industry to … Continue Reading

“What Did You Make at Your Last Job?” – Is That Still a Question?

Ver la versión en español aquí Amazon recently made a voluntary decision to ban the use of salary history questions during the employment application process. Why? The idea is that banning questions about salary history aims to close the gender pay gap. According to the Census Bureau, women make 80% of every dollar a man makes. … Continue Reading

Morale Makes Money: How Starbucks Raised the Bar(ista)… Again

Ver la versión en español aquí Last week, the CEO of Starbucks, Kevin Johnson, announced the ‘Partner and Family Sick Time’ benefits for all of Starbucks’ U.S. employees. Starbucks is giving employees a number of additional perks, including increased wages, stock grants, six-week paid parental leave for non-birth giving parents and five days of paid … Continue Reading
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