Articles

Massachusetts Moves Towards Making COVID-Related Sick Leave Mandatory

With COVID threats dissipating but not yet gone, Massachusetts is moving toward enacting a law that would require employers to provide sick leave that is targeted to deal solely with … more →

COVID Risks may be Lower in 2021, but Safety Rules Remain Important for Employers as Worker Complaints Increase

There is little question that effective vaccines and safety protocols have COVID-19 on the run in 2021, at least locally, and there is hope for eradicating the disease altogether. But … more →

The New Paid Family and Medical Leave Act: What’s an Employer to Do?

While it may not  have been top of mind amid the COVID turmoil of 2020, the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFML) was not impacted by the pandemic … more →

Massachusetts Appeals Court Refuses to Expand Exceptions to At-Will Employment Rule

Once again, Massachusetts courts have refused to expand exceptions to the state’s general rule that employers can terminate employees whenever they see fit. This time, though, it was a closer … more →

Minimum Hourly Pay Rate Is Now $13.50 Per Hour

With the new year came the latest in a series of hikes to the Massachusetts minimum wage. Effective January 1, 2021, the minimum pay rate reached $13.50 per hour on … more →

New Covid-19 Relief Bill Provides Important Benefits to Small Employers

After months of negotiations, discussions, and hiccups, Congress finally passed and President Trump signed into law a new Covid-19 relief bill. Ongoing debates about additional required actions notwithstanding, the law … more →

Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits will become Effective in Massachusetts on January 1, 2021

As 2020 closes with hope that the coronavirus will soon become a thing of the past, employers need to begin implementing Massachusetts’ new Paid Family and Medical Leave law (PFML). … more →

The Vaccine Dilemma: Can Employers Require them as a Condition of Employment?

With all the talk about vaccines lately, both those that already exist for influenza and others  that may soon arrive in the battle against Covid-19, employers are asking a fundamental … more →

U.S. Department of Labor to Issue New Rule on Classifications of Workers as Contractors or Employees

Government regulations don’t always either get much attention or impact many people, but a new one from the U.S. Department of Labor will do both. It promises to rewrite the … more →

The Ongoing Pandemic Presents Tough Management Challenges for Small Employers

As the Covid pandemic marches on with no end in sight, stresses and complications for small business march right along with it. As they struggle to make ends meet in … more →