How can newsrooms stay connected 24/7 without violating federal laws?
Question: What policies or procedures do newsrooms use to allow for common sense, work-related mobile phone usage among non-exempt, hourly newsroom staff? How does a newsroom maintain 24/7 connectivity with the goings-on in the world, while staying within the parameters of the Wage and Hour laws?
Click MORE to read the response from Michael Zinser of The Zinser Law Firm.
MORECan insurance carriers in N.C. require us to cover independent contractors?
Question: Our newspaper is located in North Carolina. Our business insurance carrier is insisting that we cover our independent contractor newspaper carriers for Workers' Compensation – or it will provide no business insurance whatsoever. Are you seeing this with other insurance carriers? Further, if we do cover the independent contractors for Workers' Compensation, will this jeopardize our legal status?
Click MORE to read the response from Michael Zinser of The Zinser Law Firm.
MOREWhat are the options if acknowledgement isn't signed?
Question: What should an employer do if an employee refuses to sign the employee handbook acknowledgment form?
Click MORE to read the response from Michael Zinser of The Zinser Law Firm.
MORECan these tweets and posts land us in trouble?
Question: Is there any legal liability associated with social media posts, other than defamation? If so, how should this shape our social media policy?
Click MORE to read the response from Michael Zinser of The Zinser Law Firm.
MOREAre audio recordings legal in the workplace?
Question: Is it lawful to have a policy prohibiting recording in the workplace?
Click MORE to read the response from Michael Zinser of The Zinser Law Firm and to download a suggested company policy.
MOREQuestion about privacy concerns with independent contractors
Question: Is it within the legal rights of a publisher to give to a subscriber the name and phone number of the independent contractor who delivers the newspaper to that subscriber? Are there privacy concerns?
Click MORE to read the response from Michael Zinser of The Zinser Law Firm.
MOREQuestion about 'open door' policies
Question: Is lawful for an employer to have an "open door" policy that urges employees to go to management with their workplace complaints?
Click MORE to read the response from Michael Zinser of The Zinser Law Firm.
MOREQuestion about protected activity on Facebook
Question: Does the National Labor Relations Act protect the mere act of an employee clicking the "like" button on Facebook?
Click MORE to read the response from Michael Zinser of The Zinser Law Firm.
MOREQuestion about temporary workers from a staffing agency
Question: My publishing company has a contract with a temporary staffing agency to provide workers in the packaging and distribution department of the newspaper. For labor law purposes, is my publishing company considered the employer of these temporary workers from the staffing agency?
Click MORE to read the response from Michael Zinser of The Zinser Law Firm.
MOREQuestion: What should employers be doing now in response to the 'quickie election' rule?
Question: The NLRB’s “quickie election” rule became effective on April 14. We have learned that, under the new rule, an election can be scheduled as quickly as 13 days following the date of the filing of an election petition. As an employer, is there anything we should be doing to prepare?
Click MORE to read the response from Michael Zinser of The Zinser Law Firm.
MOREA compelling argument for 13(d) overtime exemptions for district managers
Read the response from Michael Zinser of The Zinser Law Firm. More
Pay raises and unions -- what does the law allow?
Read the response from Michael Zinser of The Zinser Law Firm. More
Two questions regarding confidentiality
Question: Can an employer maintain a confidentiality policy that explicitly directs employees not to discuss coworkers' "private employee information," such as salaries, disciplinary action, etc., unless the information was "shared by the employee" whose information is being discussed?
Question: Employers are usually concerned about maintaining confidentiality when conducting sexual harassment, hostile work environment, and suspicion of abuse investigations. The need for confidentiality is paramount in these types of cases. Can an employer have a policy that, categorically, requires confidentiality when conducting these types of investigations?
Click MORE to read the responses from Michael Zinser of The Zinser Law Firm.
More