Blog: Employment Law

When you come down with a cold or flu, you’re not worried about losing your job. Even if you get injured during the course of your employment, you find comfort in knowing that you have access to workers’ compensation coverage to help you get by. But when you are diagnosed with COVID-19 and are faced with a mandatory quarantine period, you may begin to ask yourself if your job is at risk. The good news...

The Conscientious Employee Protection Act, or CEPA, is New Jersey’s employee whistleblower protection law. CEPA protects New Jersey employees who engage in whistleblowing activity from retaliation by their employers, including being fired, demoted, passed over for promotion, given undesirable assignments, or harassed. Whistleblowing activity under CEPA includes objecting to something in the workplace that the employee reasonably believes violates the law or public policy. What Kinds of Actions Does CEPA Protect from Retaliation?...

Many employees often have questions about their legal rights. They might wonder when, and for what reasons, they can be terminated from their current job. If they are terminated, they might wonder whether or not it was legal to do so. Many states follow at-will employment laws, which means in most cases, an employer can terminate an employee without reason. What Does At-Will Employment Mean? An at-will employment state essentially means that an employer can...

Employment discrimination encompasses a wide variety of different aspects. When an individual is treated differently or less favorably for any reason, discrimination in the workplace has taken place. Under laws enforced by the EEOC, there are worker protections that assist workers who have fallen victim to unfair treatment, harassment, denial of a reasonable workplace change, and many other factors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, workers have also faced discrimination in the workplace, a level of discrimination...

Civil Service Employees are dramatically affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Guidelines for State Employee Leave Time and Staffing have been posted on the Civil Service Commission website located at the following link: https://www.state.nj.us/csc/employees/covid.html. The current Civil Service Commission Guidelines as published are separated into several subsections. The first subsection allows for implementation of flextime programs, alternative workweek programs, and adjusted daily or shift hours upon approval of the Civil Service Commission Chair or designee. This...

The Paycheck Protection Program prioritizes millions of Americans employed by small businesses by authorizing up to $349 billion toward job retention and certain other expenses. Small businesses and eligible nonprofit organizations, Veterans organizations, and Tribal businesses described in the Small Business Act, as well as individuals who are self-employed or are independent contractors, are eligible if they also meet program size standards. For a top-line overview of the program click HERE If you’re...

We posted about the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) after it was signed into law on March 18th. Today, it becomes effective. A quick refresher. The FFCRA applies to employees who have worked 30 or more days, and applies to employers who employ fewer than 500 employees. The law provides for paid time off for one of the following six reasons: the employee is subject to a federal, state or local quarantine...

As you may have heard, the Senate passed a $2 trillion relief bill containing, among many other things, provisions for hundreds of billions for the Small Business Administration (“SBA”), which is intended to provide cash assistance through the SBA or through another program to qualifying small businesses. We will provide updates on this legislation as they come, but this is not the only source of relief for small businesses. Many states, including New Jersey, are...

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which was signed into law on March 18, 2020 (and expires December 31, 2020), consists of two separate laws applicable to employers with fewer than 500 employees. This law is effective no later than 15 days after the bill was signed into law; i.e., Thursday, April 2, 2020. However, it is unclear at this time exactly when the law will be deemed to take effect. The following is...

When you work in a hostile work environment, it can affect not only your livelihood, but also your overall job satisfaction. A hostile work environment can make it difficult to do your job well, which can further affect career advancement and income potential. Depending on the level or cause of the hostile work environment, it might be possible to sue your work employer. What Does a Hostile Work Environment Refer to? A hostile work environment...