Blog Posts: Employment

An employee refuses to come in to work or calls in sick or doesn’t show up or call in at all because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are plenty of excuses to do that, some real and some not so real. Many employees have been working from home these days, and they like it. Some may want to keep it that way by convincing the employer to embrace the economic virtues ...

Days before the January 20, 2021, presidential inauguration, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), under the outgoing administration, issued a flurry of new regulations, rules and opinion letters that could significantly impact the employment law landscape in the coming months or years. A gust of that wind stirs up new tipped employee regulations, set to take effec...

The EEOC has long waged war against “no-fault” or rigid employment policies. No-fault attendance policies penalize employees by issuing them points (also known as occurrences) for absences, late arrivals and early departures. It is the agency’s position such policies tend to violate the ADA. Treehouse Foods, Inc., a Georgia-based food manufacturer, had to lea...

The beginning of the new year is a great time for an annual checkup with your employment law attorney. Specifically, it’s a good time to evaluate what changes you may need to make on your employee handbook and to evaluate what policies or agreements you may need to adopt or update. A lot happened in 2020, and you may not have kept up. For example, the U.S. Supre...

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) became effective in April 2020 and will expire on January 1, 2021. The FFCRA requires employers with 500 or fewer employee to provide up to eighty hours of paid sick leave to their employees for COVID-19 related events. It also extends limited protections to employees who otherwise would not have qualified f...

Many employees of schools and universities are fearful about returning to work due to concerns about contracting COVID-19. There are many state and federal laws that offer protections to these employees. There is one particular Arizona law that applies to all employees of Arizona school districts, community college districts, and universities, including teachers ...

A recent Arizona law, A.R.S. § 23-1601, provides protections for Arizona employers who use independent contractors. Many Arizona businesses aren't taking advantage of the benefits and protections the law provides. What are the Benefits? The law, ARS § 23-1601, offers protections to Arizona businesses that employ independent contractors, but only if they have a...

Many people do not know that there is a special rule for telecommuters in seeking Family Medical Leave Act rights. If you work from home, even if you are the only employee in your state, you are still entitled to FMLA coverage if you meet the other qualifications. I recently saw a client who worked for a large company from her home. She needed to take time off for...

Many employees are concerned about returning to work due to COVID-19. Employers need to be prepared for their employee’s requests. They will want to treat their employees fairly and also minimize their liability. There are many different state and federal laws that govern employers and provide protections to employees. This article will summarize each of these la...

Employers are legally obligated to pay employees wages for the work they perform. However, there are unfortunately circumstances in which an employer may refuse to pay their employees. There are at least five things Arizona employees should know when an employer withholds wages. 1. The Deadline for Payment of Wages Depends on Several Factors Arizona law requires ...