What to Look Out for When Outsourcing Your Labor Needs

By By Hedley Lawson
Monday, February 22, 2016 4:10 PM NEW YORK—A recent case settled by the United States Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division highlights how companies, large and small, who outsource labor to staffing agencies may want to take precautions to ensure they are in compliance with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and other employment regulations.

Outsourcing Labor Needs to Staffing Companies Comes With Risks

By By Hedley Lawson
Wednesday, February 10, 2016 4:08 PM NEW YORK—A recent case settled by the United States Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division highlights how companies, large and small, who outsource labor to staffing agencies may want to take precautions to ensure they are in compliance with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and other employment regulations.

Rights of Employees When it Comes to Religious Wear at Work

By By Hedley Lawson, Jr.
Monday, July 27, 2015 7:00 AM NEW YORK—With increasing frequency, I am called by a client company or a prospective client to ask about the rights of employees to wear religious articles at work. After a brief discussion, I inform them that employers cannot generally enforce a policy prohibiting employees from wearing articles of religious importance at work.

Small Firms Not Among the Growing Self-Insurance Movement

By By Hedley Lawson, Jr.
Monday, July 20, 2015 1:26 PM NEW YORK—U.S. small businesses have not followed the same path of bigger firms by starting to self-insure their medical benefits to avoid the costs of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to recent research findings by the nonprofit Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

Federal Agencies Issue Best-Practice Guidance on Background Checks

By By Hedley Lawson
Thursday, June 12, 2014 10:48 AM WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently co-published two guidance documents reiterating how the agencies’ respective laws apply to background checks performed for employment purposes.