Should you be paying your interns? The federal Department of Labor (“DOL”) isn’t forgetting about this issue, and you shouldn’t either. Last year, we published an article on the factors the DOL was using to determine whether interns should be paid or whether a company could legally not pay their intern hire. Last month, theRead More
Author: Amy Dieterich
FMLA Leave – Paper, Paper, Paper!!
On April 18, the federal DOL is coming to town to talk about the Family Medical Leave Act. The program is sponsored by Central Maine Human Resources Association. Non-members can sign up here. So, while we’re on that topic, let’s say that your employee has told you that they need to be out of work forRead More
National Origin Discrimination: What You Need to Know… And Questions You Might Be Afraid to Ask
Regardless of which side of the aisle you fall on, we can all agree that national origin has been in the news quite a bit this winter. In November, 2016, the EEOC actually issued some updated guidance for employers on the ins and outs of national origin discrimination. You can find it here. Here’s what youRead More
If You Get a Trademark – Should It Be In Maine or Throughout The United States (Part II)
If you decide to trademark your company’s name, logo, slogan, or all of the above, one of the first questions you need to ask yourself is whether you’d like to register your mark just in Maine or on the national level. One of the benefits of registering just in Maine is that registration is lessRead More
To Trademark or Not to Trademark? (Part I)
That is the question. Many business and service providers operate for years without considering whether they should trademark elements of their business. The most common way people think of (and see) trademarks are through logos (think: New England Patriots or Apple Computers).* However, a company can also trademark a slogan it commonly uses, like, “Employment Wisdom on theRead More
EEOC Enters First Settlement in Sexual Orientation Case: How to React
On June 23rd, a large company (IFCO Systems) agreed to pay a landmark settlement in one of the EEOC’s first discrimination lawsuits on the basis on sexual orientation. For more information on the specifics of the settlement, click here. What does this mean for you? The EEOC has clearly decided that it is going to takeRead More
Bring Your Own Device Policies
“BYOD” “SOS”! HOW EMPLOYERS CAN PROTECT THEMSELVES WHEN WIPING COMPANY DATA FROM A FORMER EMPLOYEE’S CELL PHONE In the last few years, there has been a significant increase in employer policies allowing their employees to bring their own cell phones (or other devices) to work. Coupled with that, there has been a surge of pressRead More