Whether you’re working with independent contractors or hiring your first employee, building a business team brings with it a whole new area for compliance: labor and employment law. Labor and employment laws cover everything from payroll and workers compensation to workplace posters to preventing discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Unfortunately, there is no single … Read more
Telecommuting is increasingly popular among startups and small businesses, and not surprisingly so. Much has been written extoling the benefits of allowing employees to telecommute, and it’s very much the norm at companies earning high ranks on “best places to work” lists. Above and beyond the feel-good benefits to employees, telecommuting also provides cost-sensitive startups … Read more
Employers sometimes forget that it’s not just employees who can sue them, but applicants as well. With the cost of defending a claim of discrimination at several hundred thousand dollars, and new laws in place that provide increased hiring protections for candidates, it’s more critical than ever for employers to conduct lawful employment interviews. As most … Read more
It’s summertime, and that means an influx of employees calling in sick on Mondays and Fridays when they’re really not sick. Summertime sick time is one example of sick leave abuse, which often translates into administrative headaches and lost dollars for employers. How can an employer remedy sick leave abuse, whether it’s during the summer … Read more
Last week, I spoke to a group of arts administrators at a professional development session hosted by ArtsWestchester and the Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section of the New York State Bar Association on the distinction between employees and independent contractors. We covered a lot of information during the session, including: the hefty financial consequences … Read more
If you’re a private employer and you allow employees to take compensatory (or comp) time, you might be making a big mistake. Comp time is when employers allow employees to bank overtime hours for use as vacation time or other paid time off at a later date instead of immediately paying the employee overtime for … Read more
In a prior post titled Yes, You Do Have to Pay Employees for Checking E-Mail Outside of Work, we discussed steps employers can take to reduce the risk that non-exempt employees will assert unpaid wage claims for the time they spend checking and responding to e-mail (and other communications) during what would normally be the … Read more
Many employers mistakenly believe that overtime pay only applies to hourly workers. The reality is that many salaried employees are also entitled to overtime pay. Generally speaking, unless employees are considered “exempt,” the law requires that any hours worked in excess of 40 per workweek be compensated at a rate of not less than time … Read more
With Valentine’s Day approaching, and workplace romance as pervasive as ever, what better topic for this week’s post than options for employers seeking to handle workplace romances between employees. The Bad and the Ugly of Workplace Romance When a workplace romance ends, it can have all kinds of repercussions, regardless of whether it ends on … Read more
Confusion abounds whenever the subject of COBRA arises, especially with smaller employers and owner-operated businesses. The most common misconception I’ve encountered is that an eligible employee simply receives COBRA benefits because he/she is eligible without the employer (or someone designated by the employer) having to actually facilitate COBRA benefits. This is simply wrong. COBRA isn’t … Read more
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In addition, please be advised that the transmission of information via this website or by e-mail does not establish an attorney-client relationship. An attorney-client relationship with the Law Office of Kristine A. Sova is not established until and unless the Law Office of Kristine A. Sova agrees to such a relationship in a separate written document.
If you are not a current client of the Law Office of Kristine A. Sova, please do not include any information in this e-mail that you or someone else considers to be of a confidential or secret nature. The Law Office of Kristine A. Sova has no duty to keep confidential any of the information you provide.
In addition, please be advised that the transmission of information via this website or by e-mail does not establish an attorney-client relationship. An attorney-client relationship with the Law Office of Kristine A. Sova is not established until and unless the Law Office of Kristine A. Sova agrees to such a relationship in a separate written document.