From the creator of the blog that brought you, Did I ever tell you about the employee that called the owner a “f***ing crook”? and Dammit! They’re practically twisting my arm to blog about union-related stuff comes something new and exciting! I’m part of a new podcast called Working Class. Working…
Articles Posted in Trade Secrets and Restrictive Covenants
It’s 2022. Time for an employee handbook update. Start by adding the word “TikTok.”
A little over five years ago, TikTok, the social networking platform where users post videos ranging in length from 15 seconds to three minutes, was born. Now, I know that it’s hard to keep up with technology. But if your employee handbook doesn’t specifically reference TikTok — and I’m not…
Yep, President Biden ordered the FTC to curtail private companies from using of non-competes.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons I warned — didn’t I? — you that President Biden was preparing to tell the Federal Trade Commission to either ban or curtail private employers from using non-competition agreements. On Friday morning, the White House…
Wait, WHAT?!? Is President Biden planning to ban private employers from using non-competes?
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay So much for my blog servers getting a much-needed Friday rest. On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki held a press gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to Crystal Lake, IL. About halfway through her prepared remarks, she dropped this bomb on employers:…
What do adult toys and X-rays have to do with protecting trade secrets?
Image by Tayeb MEZAHDIA from Pixabay I’ve been revising a lot of NDAs recently — not to be confused with N.W.A.s. Although, sometimes, I do listen to N.W.A. while updating nondisclosure agreements. My curious legal listening habits notwithstanding, there is a practical employment law point I’d like to make here.…
What do restrictive covenants have to do with COVID-19? More than you think.
Image Credit: Maialisa (pixabay.com) Remember back in January, when I told you that restrictive covenants would be the most significant employment law issues for employers in 2020? Well, boy, was I wrong! COVID-19 has locked up this year’s title. However, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the Federal Trade Commission…
Forget what you heard. THIS, right here, will be the biggest employment law concern for employers in 2020.
SimmeD [CC BY-SA]I’ve seen a lot of ink spilled by employment lawyers about how #MeToo, new overtime rules, medical marijuana, and salary history questions will be the significant issues with which employers would have to deal in 2020. The Federal Trade Commission and I have other ideas. Last week, the…
A first-of-its-kind nationwide ban on non-competition agreements is coming. Possibly.
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay In 2016, President Obama signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act into law. A bipartisan approach to creating a nationwide enforcement mechanism, the DTSA prohibits misappropriation of trade secrets in all 50 states. Fast forward to 2019, and the federal government is back at it again…
Seven signs the non-solicitation and non-competition agreements your employees signed may be unenforceable.
User:VasilievVV and user:Jarekt [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsOne of the benefits of being a client of this handsome employment lawyer/blogger is a weekly email with links to recent HR news and notes, as well as a bonus HR-compliance tip. The rest of you deadbeats are stuck with only five free weekly…
Yes, you can be fired for cursing about clients in the office bathroom
MarkBuckawicki [CC0], via Wikimedia CommonsIf I were the boss, I’d fire anyone for talking in a public office restroom. Period. Full stop. But, carrying on and cursing about clients of the company is certainly a terminable offense. Just ask the National Labor Relations Board. Here’s the setup: Two employees entered…