Articles.
Five Things Managers Need to Know
Employers commonly give department managers the authority to make employment-related decisions for their own staff. Even when a company has an in-house human resources expert, decisions with legal implications may be made at the department level....
The Pitfalls of "Purchasing" Employees
The sale of a business can have a substantial emotional and practical impact upon the employees. The related legal issues for purchaser and vendor, and for their lawyers, are no less significant. Legally, the employment impacts of the sa...
When it Comes to Covenants, Less is More
I’ve written many times on the topic of the unpredictable impact of covenants restricting employees’ post-employment activities. What is certain about such covenants is the value of adhering to the “less is more” rule. ...
So Your Contract Contains a Restrictive Covenant
We are frequently engaged by individuals who have left an employment relationship – and are looking at new employment elsewhere – but are concerned about the impact of restrictive covenants they accepted as part of that prior employmen...
Employees, Contractors, and In-Betweens
In the employment world there are employees, contractors, and what I call in-betweens. The category into which an individual falls will have a substantial impact on his or her entitlements upon the termination of the relationship. Basic...
Employment-Related Tips for New Businesses
Establishing a new business, or buying an existing one, is an experience which can be rewarding and productive. It can also be painful and costly. For people who are new to business, or new to the concept of hiring service providers (emp...
Getting Agreements Signed Before the Relationship Commences
Perhaps the most common error I see businesses trip over – aside from not implementing contracts at all – is asking the employee or contractor to sign an agreement (contract) after the commencement of the relationship....
In Praise of the Humble Application Form
The application form is definitely an under-utilized tool for screening out undesirable applicants. Many employers treat it as a way to obtain contact information for the applicant and little more. In doing so, they are missing an opportunity to o...
Avoiding the Term Contract Trap
If used properly, so-called limited-term employment contracts can be a useful and effective tool for structuring employment relationships. In my experience, however, there are four common outcomes from the use of limited-term employment contracts ...