Compliance
ICE Toughens Form I-9 Penalties, Making Internal Audits Worth the Time
A March 16 ICE fact sheet reclassified 17 common Form I-9 errors as substantive violations, which do not come with a chance to correct them before a fine.
Employment Law
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Compliance
EEOC Moves to Narrow Pregnancy Accommodation Rule as Its Lawsuits Continue
Regulations under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act are headed for revision, but the agency keeps suing employers that force pregnant workers onto leave.
Compliance
Why Retaliation Tops the List of EEOC Charges
Retaliation has been the most common allegation in EEOC charges for more than a decade. Employees can win on it even when the original complaint fails.
Compliance
Handling an ADA Accommodation Request Starts With a Conversation
Most accommodation requests cost little or nothing, according to the Job Accommodation Network. The EEOC expects a back-and-forth before any decision.
Compliance
When the WARN Act Clock Starts on a Layoff
Employers with 100 or more workers can owe 60 days' notice before a plant closing or mass layoff. Missing it can mean back pay for every affected worker.
Compliance
Overtime Salary Threshold Returns to $684 a Week
The Labor Department formally removed the 2024 overtime rule in May. The salary line is settled for now, which puts more weight on whether each exempt employee's work actually qualifies.
Kentucky
Kentucky's Rest Break and Seventh-Day Overtime Rules, Explained
Kentucky requires a paid 10-minute break for every four hours worked, which federal law does not. It can also require overtime on a seventh straight day.
Compliance
The Federal Posters Every Employer Needs, and Where to Get Them Free
The Labor Department, EEOC and OSHA give away the posters employers must display. Some vendors still sell them with warnings about fines.
Compliance
Labor Department Proposes Another Rewrite of the Contractor Test
A February proposal would replace the 2024 rule with an approach closer to 2021. Whatever the final wording, misclassification risk depends on how the work is actually done.
Recruiting
Pre-Employment Tests Can Improve Hiring or Invite a Lawsuit
Skills tests, personality assessments and AI screening tools all fall under the same federal rules. Validation and monitoring for adverse impact keep them defensible.
Kentucky
A Guide to Workers' Compensation for Kentucky Employers
Kentucky generally requires workers' compensation coverage from the first employee. Prompt injury reports and light-duty work keep premiums down.
Compliance
FMLA Basics Employers Still Get Wrong
The FMLA covers private employers with 50 or more workers, and its 75-mile rule reaches small branches. Supervisors often miss requests that never name the law.
Recruiting
The Background Check Steps the FCRA Requires
The Fair Credit Reporting Act sets strict steps for disclosures, consent and adverse action. EEOC guidance adds a framework for weighing criminal records fairly.
Employer Branding
Employee Testimonials and the FTC Disclosure Rules
When employees promote their employer online, federal endorsement rules may require clear disclosure. Here is how to run an employee advocacy program honestly.
Recruiting
Writing Job Descriptions That Recruit and Hold Up Legally
The same document recruits candidates, sets expectations and serves as evidence in disability, overtime and pay disputes. Writing it well pays off in all three places.
Compliance
FTC Steps Up Noncompete Cases After Losing Its Ban
Warning letters, a consent order covering 18,000 workers and scrutiny of court filings show the agency is targeting blanket noncompetes one employer at a time.
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