United States: What To Expect When Your Male Employee Is Expecting: Massachusetts Replaces Maternity Leave Act With Parental Leave Act

Effective April 7, 2015, the Massachusetts Maternity Leave Act will be replaced by the Parental Leave Act (“PLA”). The new law expands the scope of the Maternity Leave Act by extending parental leave rights to men.

The new law requires employers to provide both women and men with time off “for the purpose of giving birth” or adopting a child. While the new statute does not define how the phrase “giving birth” applies to men, […]

By | February 9th, 2015 ||

United States: Knowingly Employing Unauthorized Workers – Can You Give Employees A Second Chance To Provide Valid I-9 Documentation?

Knowingly employing an unauthorized worker is prohibited by federal law. As a result, I-9 audits are a necessary part of doing business, as the penalties for noncompliance are too severe to ignore this fact.

One question arises often during the I-9 audit process: what to do when you discover that an employee has not provided valid proof of employment authorization. When this occurs, the proper course of action is typically to notify the employee of […]

By | February 9th, 2015 ||

Australia: Fighting on the job no longer an automatic basis for dismissal

In the recent decision of Browne v Coles Group Supply Chain Pty Limited [2014] FWC 3670, the Fair Work Commission reinstated a employee who been dismissed for initiating a fight with a colleague whilst at work. In his decision, Vice President Hatcher determined that initiating the fight constituted a valid reason for dismissal, but that the dismissal was harsh because it was disproportionate to the conduct when having regard to the employee’s 18 years’ […]

By | February 8th, 2015 ||