What Equipment Should be Reimbursed for At-Home Work?
If you have employees who work from home on a full-time or part-time basis, you might be wondering if you should be reimbursing certain expenses. In particular, if your company reimburses business expenses for employees who do not work from home, or if your business provided such reimbursements prior to the pandemic, employees who work […]
Simon Paschal Says: Flexibility is Key
It’s August 2021. We all thought COVID would be behind us at this point. We are all exhausted. We are all mentally drained. And as employers, you’ve spent the last nearly year and a half dealing with workplace changes, new laws, and constantly changing agency guidance. Unfortunately, though, it looks like the rest of 2021 […]
Is the Biden Administration Eliminating Non-Compete Agreements?
On July 9, 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy. The EO outlines a need to create a fair, open, and competitive marketplace. A lot of the areas identified are non-employment related areas such as cable/internet providers and costs, farming, and government contracts. The EO does, however, contain […]
Federal Court in Texas Confirms Employers Can Mandate COVID-19 Vaccine
In June, a judge in the U.S. District Court of Texas – Southern Division, confirmed employers can terminate employees for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. In a lawsuit brought by more than 100 employees at Houston Methodist Hospital, U.S. District Judge Hughes granted Methodist’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit. The employees attempted to allege […]
Changes Employers Need to Know Regarding Texas Sexual Harassment Law
Starting on September 1, 2021, Texas’ sexual harassment law will have some fairly significant changes. This past summer, both the Texas state house and senate passed amendments to Section 21 of the Texas Labor Code. The most significant change is that the law will now apply to companies with one employee or more (previously the […]
Amazon Abandons Arbitration: Should My Company Follow Suit?
You are likely already bound by many mandatory arbitration clauses tucked away in your contractual agreements, whether as an employer, employee, or even a consumer. This has traditionally been the route for companies hoping to deter class action claims from customers and employees, and to keep their disputes out of the public eye. However, after […]
Increased Need to Protect Trade Secrets and Data with Remote Work
Every employer in Texas should be thinking about ways to protect trade secrets and take steps to prevent the misappropriation of trade secrets. Yet with increased remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increased need for many employers in Texas and across the country to consider ways to protect classified information. Our […]
What is an EEO-1 Report (And Do We Need to File One?)
If you own a business in Texas and have employees, it is critical to know about EEO-1 data collection and whether or not your company is required by federal law to file an EEO-1 Component 1 report. You might be wondering, what is an EEO-1 report, and does my business need to file one? The […]
Will the “Economic Reality” Test for Independent Contractors be Changed Under the New Administration?
Many Texas employers whose worker classification is difficult to determine have questions about the new administration’s U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) rules regarding independent contractors. More specifically, the test that employers should apply to determine whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee may not be clear given that the Trump-era independent contractor […]
Are Employees Required PTO to Get a COVID Vaccine?
Employers in Texas with employees who need or want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine might have questions about offering time off to get the shot. Are Texas employers required to provide paid time off (PTO) for their employees to get the vaccine? Texas Law Does Not Require Paid Leave for COVID-19 Vaccines Texas currently […]
