The New York Times recently featured a heartwarming story, A Janitor Was Struggling, So His Colleagues Donated Toward an Early Retirement, by Gaia Pianigiani (12.27.21, page A6), about a janitor who worked at the Senna Inox factory in Graffignana, Italy, southeast of Milan. » Read More
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to place heavy burdens on the economy. Therefore, executives at all levels should prepare for a transition in employment. As I wrote in December 2015, regarding a Wall Street Journal piece (December 1, 2015, page C1), and the same holds true today. » Read More
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was signed into law in the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak. Among other things, the FFCRA extended federal paid leave benefits to many workers employed at companies or organizations with fewer than 500 total employees. » Read More
The enforcement of post-employment restrictions continues in the financial services industry. Advisor Hub recently reported that Merrill Lynch and its new advisor-employee were sued by Fidelity Brokerage Services. Fidelity sought to enjoin both Merrill Lynch and the advisor from continuing solicitation of customers by the advisor. » Read More
A seldom-used alternative method for calculating overtime pay of employees with fluctuating workweeks may soon receive greater attention from employers if the U.S. Department of Labor follows through on a newly proposed rule to loosen the way that such employees’ overtime pay is calculated. » Read More
Recently-announced firm-wide employment terminations at Deutsche Bank will require the bank to properly adhere to the statutory requirements for reductions in force (RIF). Terminated employees should be aware that although the bank, or any employer in a similar situation, may have complied with the statute, prior to the employee’s legal release of the bank, the company will not be in the clear for wrongful terminations, including those involving violations of other laws such as discrimination, retaliation, and whistleblower laws, among others. » Read More
Workplace retaliation is one of the most common, yet most often overlooked, violations of law. Retaliation in the workplace generally occurs when an individual suffers an adverse action by an employer because the individual has engaged in, or may engage in, one or more activities protected by federal, state, and/or local anti-discrimination laws, whistleblower laws, or other laws that protect employees from retaliation by employers for exercising their employment rights. » Read More
Whether it’s a wrist-worn activity tracker or an app on your telephone that counts your daily caloric intake, it is axiomatic that technology is an essential part of our everyday lives. All the while, these technologies are compiling data about our eating, exercise, and sleeping habits; data which can be analyzed to identify deficiencies and formulate plans for a healthier lifestyle. » Read More
It was reported yesterday in AdvisorHub (Fired UBS Broker, a Hunting Show Host, Gets to Keep His Half-Million-Dollar Note Balance by Mason Braswell) that UBS was unable to enforce repayment of the outstanding balance on its promissory note in a FINRA arbitration against a broker it terminated for allegedly violating conflict of interest policies – failing to disclose client relationships. » Read More