The news late Friday was not unexpected. The Governor is shutting down the offices of non-essential businesses including non-profits.

But if I had told you two weeks ago that Connecticut would be issuing an order telling non-essential businesses that their offices would have to close, I’m not sure I would’ve had many believers.

And yet,

Thursday brought still another busy day of news as increased testing in Connecticut brought a big jump in numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases. 

We’re starting to hear about employers considering furloughing employees instead of simply laying them off.

(Though the numbers of layoffs in Connecticut is over 54,000 — since Friday.)

In general terms, a

As Connecticut reported it’s first known COVID-19 cases over the weekend, it is becoming apparent that the time for preparation for a pandemic is starting to end, and the time for action items is beginning.

To that end, it seems that nearly every lawfirm is starting to compile answers to some frequently asked questions.

For

Last week, I covered some of the basics to think about as the coronavirus continues to spread.  Jon Hyman has a post today about whether the ADA might apply to the situation.

But in Connecticut, there’s another case that employers ought to be thinking about now.  It dates back to the first Gulf War in

The United States Department of Labor today released new regulations that dramatically change the existing rules on when two businesses are “joint employers” under federal wage and hour laws.

I’ve previously discussed the changing rules in some prior posts here and here, so you should catch up there first if this is the first

It’s been a long while since this blog went into the toilet.  But in this Employment Law Checklist Project, there are two employment laws we need to tackle together that highlight the very specific nature of some laws and how they remain on the books.

Yes, I’m talking about the two employment laws that require

With Independence Day nearly upon us (and with many offices on skeleton crews this week), I thought I would take a very brief look back at a case that has particular relevance to the Grand Old Flag and displays of patriotism in the workplace.

If you’ve never read about Cotto v. United Technologies Corp.,

In the last few months, I’ve had some inquiries from employers asking about resources for layoffs.

Yawn.

Everyone remembers the layoffs of the recession, right?

Actually no, as it turns out.

In the ten years since the last great round of layoffs, there is a big group of new managers, directors, human resource personnel, lawyers

If you ever read the state labor laws (wait, you haven’t?), you sometimes come across provisions that seem like they were written for another generation.

And indeed, they were.

Take, for example, Conn. Gen. Stat. 31-23.  It prohibits children under the age of 16 from working in the “manufacturing, mechanical, mercantile or theatrical industry”.

Over the last several months, I’ve been asked to do far more sexual harassment prevention trainings than typical and the issue of profanity in the workplace has popped up.

No doubt that much of this is due to the recent spate of cases of very public sexual harassment and assault cases (Thank You Matt