Employment Law FAQs for Employers
Key Employment Law Issues for Small Business OwnersSmall business owners often don't know where to turn for advice about employment law, whether it is a question of setting up your systems legally or dealing with an employee problem. Below are some frequently asked questions, and links to the answers, that we hear from our small business clients. You can also review a summary of key employment law issues for employers here.
Employment Contracts and PoliciesWhat employee policies do I need in my business?
Should I use employment contracts in my business? Is my employment handbook a contract? Wage and Hour LawsHow often do I have to pay employees?
Are bonuses or commissions considered wages? What employees must be paid overtime? Can I pay employees based on their sales or revenue? Can I change an employee's compensation unilaterally? Independent Contractors |
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Employment Termination and Discipline
Can I fire an employee without prior warning?
What are best practices for firing an employee?
What employees are protected under anti-discrimination laws?
What is retaliation?
What wages do I have to pay at termination and when do I have to pay them?
What are best practices for firing an employee?
What employees are protected under anti-discrimination laws?
What is retaliation?
What wages do I have to pay at termination and when do I have to pay them?
Non Competes and Other Restrictive Covenants
What is a restrictive covenant?
Should I use non compete agreements in my business?
What is an invention assignment and work for hire agreement?
Can I be sued if I hire someone who has a non compete?
Should I use non compete agreements in my business?
What is an invention assignment and work for hire agreement?
Can I be sued if I hire someone who has a non compete?
Leave and Other Employee Benefits
Do I have to provide paid sick time to employees?
Do I have to offer paid vacation?
Do I have to provide health insurance to employees?
What are my obligations under the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act?
Do I have to offer paid vacation?
Do I have to provide health insurance to employees?
What are my obligations under the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act?
Responding to Employee Complaints and Requests
What should I do if an employee requests their personnel file?
How to handle employee complaints about pay?
What should I do if an employee complains about sexual harassment?
How to handle employee complaints about pay?
What should I do if an employee complains about sexual harassment?
Meet Our Employment Lawyers
Emily Smith-Lee is the owner and founder of slnlaw. She is a 1996 graduate of Boston College Law School. She was previously a partner at the Boston office of a large international firm, where she worked for thirteen years before starting the firm that became slnlaw in 2009. She has been recognized as Massachusetts Superlawyer each year since 2013, and in 2018 earned recognition as one of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's Lawyers of the Year. She has written a book on employment law: Rules of the Road, What You Need to Know About Employment Laws in Massachusetts, and helped thousands of clients on both the employee and employer side with severance and non compete review and negotiation, wage and hour, discrimination and retaliation disputes, and advice about employment law generally.
Rebecca Rogers: Rebecca is a 2006 graduate of Boston College Law School, and has worked with slnlaw since 2013. She previously worked as an intellectual property litigation attorney for Fish & Richardson in Boston, Massachusetts, and clerked for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Rebecca has helped clients with wage and hour disputes, employment discrimination and retaliation claims, review and negotiation of severance and non compete agreements, and advice to both employees and employers about navigating complex employment situations.
Jenna Ordway: Jenna is a 2013 graduate of Quinnipiac Law School, and also earned an LLM in Taxation from Boston University in 2015. She has been affiliated with slnlaw since 2011, first as a law clerk and then as an attorney. Jenna has been recognized since 2019 as a "Rising Star" by Massachusetts Superlawyers. Jenna has helped clients with review and negotiation of severance and non compete agreements, wage and hour disputes, employment and discrimination claims, and advice to small business owners about employment law and other business matters.
Elijah Bresley: Eli is a 2014 graduate of Seton Hall Law school, and has worked with slnlaw since 2020. He previously worked for a boutique employment law firm outside of Boston, and then for the Labor and Employment department of a large Boston firm. He also spent a year clerking for the judges of the Superior Court in Hartford, Connecticut. Eli has helped clients on the employee and employer side with all varieties of employment law issues, including employment discrimination, retaliation, and wage and hour issues, litigation in MCAD and state and federal courts, and advising employers about employment policies and practices.
Sharleen Tinnin: Sharleen is a 2010 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, and has been with slnlaw since 2023. Prior to joining slnlaw, she worked with King, Tilden, McEttrick & Brink, P.C. on complex civil litigation matters. She previously worked for the United States Department of Justice, and received an "Excellence in Justice" award in 2017. Sharleen has helped clients with wage and hour, discrimination and retaliation disputes, review and negotiation of severance agreements, and litigation in MCAD and state and federal courts on employment related issues.
How We Can Help
We help many small business owners with questions like these, and more. You can use the button below to schedule a call back from a member of our team, or give us a call at 781-784-2322.
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