| At-Will Employment |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| April 29, 2013 - What does “at-will” employment mean? The general assumption is that “at-will” means an employee can quit for any reason and can be fired for any reason. But is that really true? Well . . . maybe n... |
| Recordkeeping - Part 2 |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| March 27, 2013 - In keeping with our promise, we return this month with the second half of our recordkeeping discussion to cover the remaining requirements and pass on what might be a simpler set of rules to follow. ... |
| Recordkeeping - Part 1 |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| February 27, 2013 - Many employment laws have posting requirements and recordkeeping requirements. While most businesses easily meet their posting requirements by purchasing a new Texas and Federal Employment law poste... |
| Smoking Discrimination |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| January 25, 2013 - Whether you are a smoker or a business owner that hates smoking, you should know the rules about smoking at work. Seriously? Is smoking another “protected class” like race, sex, national origin, et... |
| Unpaid Interns, Volunteers and Trainees |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| December 19, 2012 - About a month ago, my wife made me watch the movie, The Devil Wears Prada and it made me wonder how many other businesses are out there taking advantage of free labor from “interns”. As it turns o... |
| Workers’ Compensation Retaliation |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| November 6, 2012 - Whether you are a subscriber to workers’ compensation or not, an employee’s claim of injury is not just sad for the employee, but it interferes with an employer’s ability to conduct business. You ne... |
| Discriminatory Use of Criminal Background Checks |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| September 26, 2012 - This spring Pepsi got "popped" for a $3.1 million dollar settlement with the EEOC over its refusal to hire anyone with an arrest or conviction record. Following the settlement, the EEOC released upda... |
| The WARN Act |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| August 27, 2012 - In this continuing tough economy, employers that have avoided layoffs are finding it hard to maintain efficiency. To slim down and become more efficient, many are finally laying off large numbers of ... |
| Hiring Children |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| June 25, 2012 - This month's piece is written for both your business and personal interest. Maybe your close friend is trying to get you to hire her 14 year old to get him out of the house for the summer. Or, perh... |
| Hiring |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| May 30, 2012 - In this day and age it is very tempting to "google" your prospective hires to see what you can learn about them on the internet. Some companies have even started demanding to look at a prospective em... |
| Deductions from Pay |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| April 30, 2012 - One of your employees damages a piece of work equipment. Can you deduct the repair from their wages? What if it takes them below minimum wage for the week? Do you need their written consent before do... |
| Job Descriptions |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| March 29, 2012 - How does HootersTM get away with hiring all young female waitstaff? Well, the company got sued over it, but wised up afterward and created a job description that makes it a "bona fide occupational qu... |
| Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| March 5, 2012 - Fast forward twenty years. Everybody is genetically tested to find out what health issues have been passed to them from their parents. To protect the citizenry from the prying eyes of insurance compa... |
| Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| January 31, 2012 - Atten-Hut: This month we focus on the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act ("USERRA"). The name may be a mouthful but most employers seem to have no clue about this law or its re... |
| Covenants Not to Compete |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| December 12, 2011 - Last month we covered trade secrets and confidentiality. Now, it is time to give you the most commonly used weapon to combat employees taking your secrets across the street to a competitor. Behold, t... |
| Trade Secrets and Confidentiality |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| November 3, 2011 - What is the recipe for Coke? Can you tell me Colonel Sanders 11 herbs and spices? I couldn't tell you, but there are probably some employees of those companies who can. If you thought about it long e... |
| Polygraph Protection |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| September 29, 2011 - Before 1988, businesses could essentially break out a polygraph machine to test employees anytime they liked and rely on the results in all business decisions. After Congress passed the EPPA, use of... |
| Privacy in the Workplace |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| August 11, 2011 - Can you rifle through an employee's purse at work? Can you listen to their phone calls or read their e-mail? Some of you are reacting to these questions as individuals who want their privacy protecte... |
| Exempt vs Non-Exempt Employees |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| June 18, 2011 - Last we covered the basics of overtime. This month, you get the other half - exempt vs non-exempt employees. As if there were not enough potential for trouble with just calculating overtime, there ar... |
| Employee Overtime |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| May 19, 2011 - Of all the employment issues out there, overtime is relatively simple, right? Just hand it off to the payroll company and violà, it's done. Of course, the payroll company does not decide whether empl... |
| Sexual Harassment: How to Avoid an EEOC Claim and Lawsuit |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| April 29, 2011 - Television and movies have done a lot to form our opinions about what is and is not permissible in the workplace. Everyone has seen the boss\secretary affair, and most people realize it is not approp... |
| Employee Drug Testing |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| February 25, 2011 - The need to test an employee for drugs doesn't come up very often, but when it does, employers tend not to act. They have the desire, but employers just don't know if it is legal. Erring on the side ... |
| Does the Family Medical Leave Act Apply to My Business? |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| January 19, 2011 - The Family Medical Leave Act or "FMLA" provides sweeping benefits to employees allowing them to take up to twelve weeks a year in unpaid time off and keep their job. Most business owners are aware of... |
| The Differences Between Independent Contractors and Employees |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| January 4, 2011 - Uncle Sam needs tax dollars in a down economy and he knows independent contractors often forget to report all or a portion of their income. That is why the Department of Labor and IRS have recently t... |
| How Can an Employer Successfully Handle Social Networking? |
| Looper Reed's Employer Handbook |
| December 10, 2010 - "Social Networking" wasn't even a recognized concept ten years ago when I went into private practice. Now it is vying for a place in Webster's and so pervasive that business owners have to consider h... |