Author Archives: Jennie Woltz

NYC Public Schools are Closed. Are you Prepared?

In a swift announcement made by Mayor de Blasio in response to rising NYC COVID-19 rates, New York City is closing all public schools for in-person instruction as of November 19, 2020.  Although officials hope that closures may only last through Thanksgiving, it is likely that they will last longer.  This development affects about 300,000Continue reading “NYC Public Schools are Closed. Are you Prepared?”

Are your New York Sick Leave Policies Ready for January 1?

If you own or operate a private business in New York, and you haven’t updated your sick leave policies since before the pandemic, they are almost certainly out of date. This could be creating risk for your company. Keeping up with the numerous changes to local sick leave laws may not have been your topContinue reading “Are your New York Sick Leave Policies Ready for January 1?”

Recording Virtual Meetings: Opportunity or Pitfall? It’s all in the Policy.

The “new norm” has replaced in-person meetings with video-conferencing through WebEx, Skype, Google Meet, Zoom and other similar platforms.  The ease of recording virtual meetings brings new opportunities for business: for instance, meetings are now more accessible for remote or time-shifting workers; and recordings can now serve in place of copious (and often incomplete orContinue reading “Recording Virtual Meetings: Opportunity or Pitfall? It’s all in the Policy.”

When are “Independent Contractors” Really “Employees”? The DOL Unveils Proposed New Test

The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”), the agency tasked with enforcing the Fair Labor Standards Act, has long applied a six-factor “economic reality” test to distinguish between employees and independent contractors. Today, the DOL unveiled proposed regulations intended to clarify and streamline the existing test into a new 5-factor “economic realities” test.  Under the newContinue reading “When are “Independent Contractors” Really “Employees”? The DOL Unveils Proposed New Test”

The DOL Issues Revised Rules to the FFCRA

Hot off the presses! the Department Of Labor just issued revisions to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).  The FFCRA is the law that temporarily expands the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to provide leave for a number of COVID-19-related reasons.  The Federal Government ultimately pays for the leave through employer tax credits. The FFCRAContinue reading “The DOL Issues Revised Rules to the FFCRA”

Two Cases Exemplifying the Value of Positive Employee Relations

If you like positive employee relations, you might be interested in two legal developments I saw today. First, an NYC employee alleged that her company’s parental leave was misleading: she claimed the policy appeared to offer more weeks of protected leave than it actually did. Second, the 7th circuit ruled that a gay employee was permitted toContinue reading “Two Cases Exemplifying the Value of Positive Employee Relations”

How to Save Time While Working Remotely (Harvard Business Review)

While I typically post only about legal news, the below article from Harvard Business Review was so clutch, I couldn’t resist. If I were still running HR at The New York Foundling, I would absolutely share this with my team. Those of you managing people in remote jobs might also want to share.

New Guidance for Tracking Teleworking Hours

The U.S. Department of Labor has issued guidance regarding employers’ obligations to conduct “reasonable diligence” in tracking teleworking employees’ hours of work. If your company is not tracking remote work time — or you are not sure your company’s tracking efforts are sufficient — there is no time like the present.