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As a business owner, hiring your first employee is a big step. While it is certainly a milestone of growth, it also triggers a variety of legal issues of which every business owner should be aware. It is extremely...

Previously on this blog, we discussed the importance of developing an employee handbook despite the time and energy involved. Another important step for small business owners is to properly set up a system for employee personnel files when you...

Many small business owners may not believe it is necessary to have a formal employee handbook. True, handbooks take time and energy to develop and must be updated on a regular basis. It may seem much easier to simply...

Small business owners should always be aware of all of the federal and state employment laws that may apply to their company.  Familiarizing yourself with laws regarding wages, hours, discrimination, and more not only guarantees fair treatment for your...

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in its landmark decision in United States v. Windsor.  This decision meant that the federal government would now...

Many small business owners try to be flexible in order to accommodate their employees’ needs, busy lives, and unexpected situations.  However, even if owners are simply trying to be kind and helpful, they may be unintentionally breaking federal and/or...

In the current economy, many students and recent graduates who cannot find paid jobs have used unpaid internships as a way to improve their resumes and gain practical experience in a certain field.  Over the past couple months, however,...

On June 26, 2013, the United States Supreme Court announced a landmark decision in the case of United States c. Windsor. The ruling struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a law passed in 1996 that previously prohibited...

If you hire someone to perform services for your business, that person may be classified as an independent contractor or as an employee.  The differences between these two classifications are often misunderstood by an employer, and these misunderstandings can...

There’s a lot of confusion over the distinction between an employee and independent contractor.  Is the guy who does coding for you part-time in another state an employee?  How about a college student who teaches a couple of classes...