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Showing 27 posts in Employee Personnel Files.

HIPAA Considerations In The Event Of Employee Death or Incapacitation

December 5, 2014
Posted In Department of Health and Human Services, Employee Benefits, Employee Contracts, Employee Forms, Employee Handbook, Employee Personnel Files, Employer Group Health Plans, Employer Mandate, HIPAA, Human Resource Department

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, otherwise known as HIPAA, acts in part to provide federal protection for identifiable health information retained by covered entities, which includes most businesses that offer company health plans. While many employers have policies and procedures in place to ensure HIPAA compliance in routine, every day matters relating to the management of employee health data, few employers have developed policies or even considered how to manage protected health information in the unfortunate event of employee death or incapacitation. More >

Kentucky Supreme Court Decision Drastically Impacts All Non-Compete Agreements

By Cynthia L. Effinger on November 20, 2014
Posted In Creech v. Brown, Employee Benefits, Employee Contracts, Employee Handbook, Employee Personnel Files, Employment Law, Hiring and Firing, Human Resource Department, Non-Compete Agreement

Earlier this year, the Kentucky Supreme Court reversed the Kentucky Court of Appeals’ holding in Creech, Inc. v. Brown, and held, in a landmark decision, that continued employment, standing alone, is no longer sufficient consideration to justify or support enforcement of a non-compete agreement. This reverses prior precedent that employer-employee agreements may be executed in exchange for merely retaining one’s job. While the case has an intricate and complex set of facts, this article focuses on the consideration requirement only, as the Kentucky Supreme Court chose not to address any other issues. More >

NLRB Decision Limits Employer’s Off-Duty Policy, Part II

June 11, 2014
Posted In Employee Benefits, Employee Handbook, Employee Personnel Files, Employment Law, National Labor Relations Act, National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)

Earlier this week, we provided information relative to the NLRB’s decision in Piedmont Gardens, 360 NLRB No. 100 (2014).The issue in the case was the employer’s ability to regulate off-duty employee access to the property, a nursing home. The company handbook contained a provision that generally prohibited off-duty access, unless such access was previously authorized by a supervisor. The NLRB found the “unless previously authorized” caveat to be unlawful because it gave supervisors an unlimited scope in determining when and why employees could access the building. More >

NLRB Decision Limits Employer’s Off-Duty Policy

June 9, 2014
Posted In Employee Benefits, Employee Handbook, Employee Personnel Files, Employment Law, National Labor Relations Act, National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently issued a decision in Piedmont Gardens, 260 NLRB NO. 100 (2014) regarding the legality of an employer’s off-duty access policy. Piedmont Gardens is a nursing home. Many employers, especially those in health care or other highly-regulated industries, have policies that prohibit against employees lingering around the job site when not working. Off-duty employees can not only be a disruption to the business and create security risks, but can also increase an employer’s liability. After the newest NLRB decision on the issue, however, employers should review their policies to ensure that they do not run afoul of federal law. More >

Dealing with the DOL at Your Door, Part I

February 3, 2014
Posted In Employee Misconduct, Employee Personnel Files, Employment Law, Federal Department of Labor, Hiring and Firing, House Labor and Industry Committee, Human Resource Department, Kentucky Labor Cabinet, Kentucky Wage and Hour Act, Supervisor, U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour

The United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) conducts workplace inspections for potential violations of wage and hour laws. Employers often place frantic telephone calls to their lawyer when an investigator from the Wage and Hour Division (“WHD”) knocks on their door for good reason: a DOL investigation should be  taken seriously. Any last-minute attempt to pass muster typically falls short, and leaves an employer in violation of wage and hour laws which may subject them to hefty fines. A violation can result in wage restitution, interest, and liquidated damages.  Preparedness is key, and an employer’s institution of the following five guidelines can drastically improve their position should the DOL initiate an investigation. More >

Thinking Outside the Box: Eliminating the Criminal Conviction Box from Employment Applications

December 11, 2013
Posted In "Ban-the-box", Criminal Background Checks, EEOC, Employee Personnel Files, Employment Law, Job applications

As most employees and employers are aware, a standard employment application normally includes a box or line item for the applicant to document whether he/she has ever been convicted of a crime. In the employment relations realm, however, there exists a growing initiative to “ban-the-box” – meaning that job applications no longer ask about one’s criminal history. More >

Complete Your Non-Compete: Helpful Drafting Tips, cont.

July 31, 2013
Posted In Employee Contracts, Employee Personnel Files, Employment Law, Human Resource Department, Non-Compete Agreement

Earlier this week, I discussed the importance of tailoring non-compete agreements to ensure enforceability and provided some factors to consider when drafting. Below are four more factors that should help you create a strong non-compete agreement. More >

Contemplate Before You Terminate: Rules of Termination

May 13, 2013
Posted In Employee Personnel Files, Employment Law, Hiring and Firing, Human Resource Department, Workplace Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation

Donald Trump makes it look easy. With a simple statement (“You’re fired!”), the employee gets up and exits the boardroom. And like that, the underachiever is nixed from the show, ushered into a limo, and never seen again (at least, until the “All-Star” season). If only the real world was that easy. The decision to terminate an employee can give any employer anxiety, even if it is undoubtedly for the betterment of the business. This sense of dread is not without warrant; termination can be a legal landmine. Even terminating “at-will” employees requires cautious consideration. You can cover your bases, though, by carefully drafting policies, adhering to procedures, and relying on some common sense. Before any action is taken, review these simple rules that can protect you from a lawsuit. More >

For the Record—What Document Retention Policy Does Your Business Have in Place?

April 1, 2013
Posted In Employee Personnel Files, Employment Law, Human Resource Department, Record Retention, Social Media Policies

Business owners know that paperwork can be a lot of work. There are personnel files, insurance and benefit records, investigative files, government forms, payroll— and the list seemingly never ends. As a result, it is imperative that employers have a record retention policy in place before a mountain of paperwork overruns the office. All employers, and especially their Human Resources departments, should know not only where to store documents, but also how long to keep them and who is in charge of necessary cataloging. More >

Fresenius USA Manufacturing, Inc.- Forcing Employers to Navigate the crossroads of workplace harassment & the NLRA

December 5, 2012
Posted In Employee Misconduct, Employee Performance Reviews, Employee Personnel Files, Employment Discrimination Laws, Employment Law, Hiring and Firing, Human Resource Department, National Labor Relations Act, National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Workplace Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation

Properly navigating workplace harassment laws is a tricky endeavor for any company.  A recent decision from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in Fresenius USA Manufacturing, Inc. (September 19, 2012) makes employers’ obligations in this arena even more uncertain. More >

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