Is the Music in Your Workplace Creating a Hostile Work Environment?

To many people, music can be motivating. It can help make mundane tasks easier and make the workday fly by. But for some people, music can be controversial and can create feelings of discomfort and unease. When employees have complaints about music in the workplace, employers must not ignore them. Failure to take prompt action […]

When Do You Need to Pay an Employee for Not Working?

Employees get paid when they work. Everyone who works for a living knows that. But as an employer, you probably know that some employees are also entitled to pay when they are not working. Depending on the nature of your business and the types of work done at your company, some of your employees may […]

Is Height and Weight Discrimination a Thing?

Recruiting, interviewing, and hiring new employees seems to become more complicated every day. Remote work, AI hiring tools, and the sheer number of applicants applying for each open position provide a whole new set of challenges that did not exist 20, or even 10 years ago. Another complication employers must navigate are new employment laws […]

Does Your Non-Compete Agreement Violate Federal Law?

As an employer, you are most likely very aware of your competitors for both customers and employees. You certainly don’t want to invest time and resources training an employee only to see them jump ship and work for a competitor, taking with them the knowledge, training, and proprietary information/trade secrets they gained in your employ. […]

Developing a Workplace AI Policy

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more commonly used everywhere you turn, including the workplace. Many companies and employees are using this technology to perform mundane tasks and make their work easier overall. AI is also changing how organizations operate and make decisions. It presents many opportunities for organizations, such as enhanced workflows, streamlined operations, and […]

How Are Employer Diversity Programs Different from Affirmative Action?

What Does the SCOTUS Ruling Mean for Employers? On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision striking down affirmative action programs at the University of North Carolina and Harvard University, effectively ending their affirmative action initiatives and the consideration of race as a factor when admitting students to higher education. History […]

Can You Be Guilty of Wrongful Termination in an At-Will Employment Environment?

Texas is an “at-will” state (just like every other state except Montana) which means that an employee can be terminated at any time, for any reason that is not prohibited by state or federal law.  It is important to note, however, that most states have exemptions to at-will employment beyond the primary exemptions of non-discrimination, […]

Overtime Pay for Daily Rate Employees?

While most jobs pay weekly or biweekly, there are some positions that pay a daily rate. This may be the case for labor-intensive jobs as well as temporary workers. Because paying employees a daily rate is somewhat atypical, employers may not know the specifics when it comes to the legalities of overtime for daily rate […]