Understanding the Whistleblower Lawsuit Against Attorney General Paxton
Who is an employer in Texas and who counts as an employee according to the Texas Whistleblower Act? Those are questions that surround the lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is facing claims from four former aides under Texas whistleblower law. According to a recent report in the Texas Tribune, those four former […]
Simon | Paschal Says: Be Careful with Kindness
It’s that time again for another Simon | Paschal Says opinion column. This opinion deals with kindness and the pitfalls employers face when they are too kind. Before you fire off that angry email to us about how important kindness is, let us clarify what me mean by being careful with kindness. First and foremost, […]
The “Post” COVID Workplace
Anyone that has followed the news understands that COVID is not going away any time soon. So while we think it’s important to talk about the “post” COVID workplace, it’s not really all that “post.” That said, there are some new normals and some considerations of which all employers should be mindful. Vaccinations With the […]
Do Texas Employers Have to Pay Employees for Work Missed Due to Inclement Weather?
The recent 2021 winter storm in Texas shut down a large portion of the state for the week. Lack of electricity forced the closing of many businesses. Those businesses that were able to stay open had numerous absences from employees who could not travel to work because of the snow and ice or could not […]
Transacting Business in Multiple States
Are you registered to do business in every state in which you provide services? What about those states in which your client is based but you provide all your services remote? Or that state in which you have a remote employee who moved away from your corporate office when most businesses transitioned to remote workers […]
How to Conduct a Remote Workplace Investigation
Given that many workplaces continue to operate with a largely or entirely remote workforce due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important for employers to understand the basics of conducting a thorough and effective remote workplace investigation. Many employers in Texas have developed methods and strategies for workplace investigations more generally, but some of those […]
Back to the Basics: Protecting Trade Secrets
When you hire employees to work for your company, it is essential that you know how to protect trade secrets and to ensure that employees do not use information they learn while working for your company in ways that ultimately could harm your business. One of the first topics of examination in any litigation over […]
The Importance of Job Descriptions & Standard Operating Procedures
Every employer in Texas should understand the importance of job descriptions and standard operating procedures (SOPs) in running a business. Attempting to run a business and to hire employees without these guiding documents can create a variety of problems for your company. You should think of job descriptions and SOPs as roadmaps that provide a […]
What is the WARN Act in Texas?
Employers in Texas need to learn about the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, and how it applies to employees in the state. While some states have their own state-specific versions of the WARN Act that provide additional protections to employees, Texas does not have one of these laws. Accordingly, employers need to […]
How Will the New I-9 Form Affect Our Hiring?
Whether you are planning to make a couple of new hires in the coming months or you are expanding your business significantly and will bring on many new employees, you may be wondering if the new I-9 form will affect your hiring practices. As you know, an I-9 form is used to verify an employee’s […]
