Business owners and Human Resources professionals frequently encounter questions about disability rights in the workplace.  This article busts some common myths about disability rights to help you keep your workplace accessible and legally compliant. Myth #1: The Americans with Disabilities Act is the only law protecting employees with medical issues. The legal landscape regarding employees […]

If you have decided 2024 is going to be a better year, you may have made some personal New Year’s resolutions.  You can bring these goals into the workplace as well to help your organization run better than ever. Resolution #1: Get a checkup. Schedule a checkup – with your employment lawyer.  You’re busy with […]

Supervising employees is not easy.  Providing constructive feedback can be one of the most challenging aspects of management, but it is crucial to creating and maintaining strong staff performance, so supervisors need to approach performance evaluations and staff feedback skillfully. The annual review should not be the first time an employee receives feedback.   Successful management […]

When dealing with an at-will employee, can you really fire someone for any reason?  Can the company make deductions from the final paycheck?  Does accrued, unused vacation get paid out?  When terminating the employment relationship, it is important to get the details right.  Disgruntled ex-employees are more likely to file legal complaints than current employees, […]

Governor Lamont and the Connecticut Department of Labor announced that the state minimum wage will increase to $15.69 per hour on January 1, 2024, six months after rising to $15 per hour this past June. This increase is the first index-based adjustment to occur under legislation signed in 2019.  That law provided for phased-in increases […]

Can an employer fire an employee for cursing out the boss?  Complaining about pay?  Backing the “wrong” political candidates?  Posting racist rants on Facebook? These situations are not uncommon in the workplace and employers must be prepared to navigate the complicated terrain of employee speech protections while maintaining order in the workplace.  This article busts […]

Starting November 1, 2023, all employers will be required to use a new I-9 Form, the form used to verify an employee’s eligibility to work in the United States.  I-9s must be completed on all new hires who will perform work in the United States.  Employers may switch to the new form now or may […]

First, breathe.  Many employers (and virtually all large employers) in Connecticut face a CHRO charge at some time.  The filing of a charge does not mean that you or your employees are bad people, are going to jail, or are going to have to pay out a massive verdict.  Factually or legally baseless charges are, unfortunately, quite common.  While […]

The complicated landscape of laws governing criminal background checks can turn some employers away from engaging in the process at all.  This can seem like it is working well, until you uncover that you just hired a convicted con artist to handle your billing or someone with a history of burglary to work at your […]

Under the Connecticut Paid Sick Leave Law, public and private Connecticut employers with 50 or more employees are required to provide paid sick leave to certain employees referred to as “service workers.”  The law applies to private businesses, boards of education, municipalities, non-profits, and other employers, excluding manufacturers and a narrow group of non-profits.  Most […]