Tag: Washington

Why Long-Term Care Is Taking Center Stage

There’s a recent major development in the insurance world you may not have heard of yet: Washington just became the first state in the nation to develop legislation that makes long-term care affordable for its workers. Called “WA Cares,” this program also impacts companies outside of Washington that have employees in the state.

hiring

Will the Candidate-Driven Market Trend Continue in 2020?

2019 was a challenging year for talent acquisition professionals! Unemployment continued to trend at the lowest levels seen in over 50 years, causing candidates to become more selective in the employers they choose to work for.

Washington Law Limiting Noncompetes Takes Effect January 1

Washington’s new law significantly restricting employers’ use of noncompetition agreements takes effect January 1, 2020. In addition to limiting the use of noncompetes, the law provides for generous damages when an individual successfully claims a noncompete is unenforceable.

feelance

Freelance Workers Could Make Up Your Entire Workforce Soon

A recent article on LinkedIn highlights the growing trend of using telecommuting as an employee benefit. More and more job candidates are negotiating the opportunity to work from home at least 1 day (or more) a week. As remote work continues to rise in popularity, it makes you wonder: Will these digital nomads make up […]

Franchisee group calls ruling on Seattle wage law discriminatory

Franchisers in Seattle are faced with phasing in the city’s $15-an-hour minimum wage more quickly than they had hoped now that the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected their bid to be classified as small businesses, a decision the franchisers call discriminatory. In 2014, Seattle passed a minimum wage law that requires employers […]

Seattle’s new minimum wage ordinance takes effect April 1

by Valerie Hughes and Aurora Janke Seattle’s new minimum wage ordinance goes into effect April 1, meaning employers—regardless of size—must pay employees working in the city at least $11 per hour. Employers with 501 or more employees must pay a “minimum wage” of $11 per hour, while employers with 500 or fewer employees must pay […]

New Washington marijuana law doesn’t require employers to change policies

by Javier F. Garcia Washington’s new law concerning recreational marijuana use takes effect December 6, but it doesn’t require changes in employer policies. Initiative 502 (I-502), approved in the November 6 election, is intended to make the production and sale of marijuana a regulated, state-licensed system similar to that for controlling hard alcohol. It means […]

NTSB Urges Ban on Cell Phone Use While Driving

Employers have been on notice for more than a year that government safety officials are highly critical of employees using cell phones while driving. The practice is coming under even more scrutiny now that the National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended a total ban on the use of cell phones and other such devices […]