Small business owners who plan to expand their operations by hiring employees must be cognizant of the federal employment laws that apply to their organizations, and lawyers and blogs about employment law are great resources for them. All human resource managers need to keep their knowledge of employment law current, and many of them turn to experts who publish employment law blogs for the latest news about labor laws and cases. Here are five employment law blogs that give business leaders insight into regulations that could impact their business strategies and policies.
#1 Social Media Employment Law Blog
Technology and its social media offspring has changed the way that people conduct themselves both personally and professionally. The Social Media Employment Law Blog highlights issues that employers encounter relating to the use of social media in the workplace. An issue that was described on the Social Media Employment Law Blog is the popularity of using social media platforms to publish information about the outcomes of labor dispute cases. Most companies have non-disclosure agreements with employees when they pay them labor dispute settlements. However, at least one state court ruled in favor of a worker who posted their victory online. The worker did not disclose the amount of the settlement won, and the judge ruled their favor because all court proceedings and decisions are already a part of the public record. Social media just made the information more accessible to a wider audience which is what the company was trying to avoid.
#2 Workplace Prof Blog
The Workplace Prof Blog is written by a group of law professors and practicing lawyers to primarily support law students, but the blog’s information is also relevant to business owners, human resource professionals and paralegals. The site features posts that highlight a variety of employment law issues that include worker classification for on-demand labor, techniques for curbing incidences of work place violence and new reporting requirements for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A particular article of interest described algorithmic discrimination in hiring practices. Companies are encouraged to use software to automate all types of support functions, and the latest use of technology involves screening employment applicants via software. A software system will do no more than its programmer designs it to do, and it seems that there are an increasing number of people who are being discriminated against via machine.
#3 Lawffice Space
While the federal government gives plenty of guidelines and regulations for labor laws, many employment laws relate to specific states. The Lawffice Space blog provides humorous yet informative insight about recent Pennsylvania and federal cases and projected initiatives for all areas of employment law. Blog posts describe labor laws pertaining to equal pay for equal work, pregnant employees and employer-sponsored wellness programs.
#4 Wage and Hour Defense Blog
The trend in employment laws around the world is to enable a better work and life balance of employees through legislated reforms for wage and overtime rates. The movement that took root in Europe has spread to America where California and the District of Columbia raised minimum wage rates, revamped policies on overtime and enacted paid sick leave regulations. The Wage and Hour Defense Blog informs readers about new pay-related laws, and it often gives blog visitors early notice about future reforms such as initiatives to curtail work email traffic when employees are not scheduled for work.
#5 FMLA Insights
The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has been a source of contention between employers and workers for a long time. FMLA Insights gives company managers information about common abuses and uses of FMLA by workers. The blogger describes cases and scenarios where employers were successful in slowing down abuses of leave in their organizations. FMLA Insights readers also glean news about the latest cities and states that have adopted new paid sick leave laws to protect workers.
Conclusion
Many employment laws such as those that prohibit discrimination are easy to follow by using common sense and treating all employees fairly. Other laws such as those that relate to overtime pay and employee exemption status are not so straightforward. Blogs about employment law often describe the successes and failures of companies that implement labor laws so that other organizations can learn what works and what does not.
See also: Top 10 Best Online Master’s in HR Degree Programs (MSHR) 2016
