Employee handbooks are an integral road map for employees to navigate the rules of their employer.
At Ruder Ware, our attorney team has written countless handbooks to provide processes, protections, and proactive guidance. Our handbooks are in compliance with the latest laws and policies and are customized to each employers unique work force. Topics regularly addressed in the handbooks include:
- Hiring
- Employee retention
- Employment at-will
- Dispute resolution procedures including arbitration
- Racial and sexual harassment
- Equal opportunity
- Employee dignity
- Safety and health
- Family and Medical Leave Act
- Rules of conduct
- Employee discipline
- Attendance
- Lay-off and recall
- Job transfers and promotions
- Paid time off (e.g., vacation, holidays, sick pay, etc.)
It has been said that the best HR is proactive HR. Because of that our employment attorneys created an audit program to provide of checkup of current operations. The goal is to ensure that in-place policies and procedures comply with current employment laws. There is no one-size-fits-all program as the audit is a review of your current policies and procedures. Our attorneys are up-to-date on current state and federal laws and have the training and applicable know-how to evaluate whether they provide the appropriate protections. To schedule your audit contact Sara Ackermann (link to profile).
Founded in 1920, Ruder Ware provides business, employment, estate planning, and litigation services through its offices in Wausau, Eau Claire, and Green Bay, Wisconsin. A full-service law firm, over 40 attorneys provide clients with a one-stop approach to their legal needs. Ruder Ware, Business Attorneys for Business Success.
Posted on September 29, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann and Nicole L. Stangl
Employers need to keep abreast of the ever-changing agency rules regarding whether a worker is an “independent contractor” or an “employee.” You might ask, “why does this matter to the government?” The answer is easy: many government agencies—both state and federal—are designed solely to protect employees. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Occupational Safety […]
Posted on September 22, 2020 by Andrew P. Raymonds
Today, Gov. Evers issued Executive Order #90 declaring a new public health emergency in Wisconsin due to recent surges in COVID-19 cases. He also issued a new face coverings order, Emergency Order #1. While these orders are new, they have no material changes from the mask mandate orders Gov. Evers’ issued on July 30 (check […]
Posted on September 15, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
Late last week, the Department of Labor issued a revised rule to address a New York federal judge’s order from this past August that struck down several provisions of the FFCRA. (For a copy of Ruder Ware’s article on that order, click here.) The order left employers confused: Should we follow the original FFCRA or […]
Posted on September 10, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) posted an update to “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws” on September 8, 2020. The update modified the Q&As to create a user-friendly comprehensive guide addressing common questions about COVID-19 and federal equal employment opportunity laws for employers. […]
Posted on September 2, 2020 by Mary Ellen Schill
On August 8, 2020, President Donald Trump issued an executive order titled “Memorandum on Deferring Payroll Tax Obligations in Light of the Ongoing COVID-19 Disaster.” The order directed the Secretary of the Treasury to use its authority to defer the withholding, deposit, and payment of certain payroll tax obligations. On August 28, 2020 the U.S. […]
Posted on August 10, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
By now, many of you have heard that last week a federal judge expanded several provisions of the Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). We have been postponing our alert on this hoping the Department of Labor would issue some guidance for employers. So far, there has been no word from the DOL. If you […]
Posted on August 6, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
Wisconsin’s COVID-19 response bill (2019 Wisconsin Act 185) was enacted by the Wisconsin legislature in mid-April. It included provisions to charge unemployment claims caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency to the state’s balancing account, rather than to employers’ accounts, in order to relieve employers from increased unemployment taxes in 2021. This Act was tied […]
Posted on July 28, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
You are excited to get back to work! However, a few of your employees are not so eager to shed their jammies for pleated pants or steel-toed shoes. Can you force them to return? On the other hand, some employees who are happy to return have asked that you monitor off-duty conduct. You are getting […]
Posted on July 23, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
Beginning on Friday, July, 24, 2020 at 11:59 p.m., face coverings must be worn in Minnesota by all persons at indoor businesses, indoor public settings, and by workers outside when social distancing practices cannot be followed. Businesses are required to update their COVID-19 Preparedness Plans to include this requirement, inform their workers of this update, […]
Posted on July 20, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
Last week, the Department of Labor announced new Family Medical Leave Act forms were available on its website. (Note these forms are not applicable to the “Expanded FMLA” available under the Family First Coronavirus Response Act. Please don’t tell me you have no idea what I am talking about… ) The Department clarified, as with […]
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