Strategies for Growing Employers: Avoiding Labor Code Landmines

Winston & Strawn hosted an eLunch titled “Strategies for Growing Employers: Avoiding Labor Code Landmines” on Thursday, September 18, 2014 at 12:15 – 1:30 p.m. (Central). 

Because growing employers are typically focused on the “big stuff,” such as profitability and selling their products and services, they sometimes overlook the seemingly “small stuff,” such as complying with detailed and employee-oriented state and federal labor laws. As growing employers transition to large employers, they often carry with them legacy policies and practices that violate seemingly trivial provisions that nevertheless come with steep penalties that can reach into the millions of dollars. Plaintiffs’ lawyers know this and are targeting growing employers with growing pocketbooks. 

Winston & Strawn attorneys, Monique Ngo-Bonnici and Jason Campbell, provided a practical presentation on the typical labor law landmines growing employers must know about and avoid. Topics discussed include: 

• Misclassifying workers as exempt from overtime
• Assuming an independent contractor is not an employee
• Using interns for free labor
• Letting employees decide whether or when they can take a lunch break
• Automatically terminating employees whose leaves of absence have expired
• Failing to train supervisors on sexual harassment
• Withholding wages when employees don’t return company property
• Basing employment decisions on an applicant’s social media activity
• Giving employees “comp time” instead of paying them overtime
• Failing to have the required federal and state labor law posters

This practical presentation provided proactive steps employers can take to mitigate the risk of employment litigation.

Contact Winston & Strawn for more information about this event.

An eLunch is a complimentary, interactive seminar where participants watch and listen to a presentation given by Winston & Strawn attorneys over the Internet.

Clients and friends of the firm are invited to attend seminars and events. We reserve the right to limit attendance at any firm event.

NOTE: CLE credit is not available for listening to our pre-recorded eLunch or webinar briefings.