In episode 38, Coffey talks with employment law attorney Sarah Glaser about the pandemic’s impact on employment law and employee relations.They discuss how significant a change in public policy was Congress’ passing of temporary paid family leave at the beginning of the pandemic; the changing roles of HR; how the misalignment of employer and employee preferences for remote or in-person workplaces affect retention; challenges employers face when employees relocate to other states; the legal and ethical considerations when employees who start their workday at home are called into the office for a meeting; who should pay for travel back to the office when a regularly-remote employee has moved out of town; the importance of information confidentiality when employees work from home or their local coffee shop; a variety of wage and hour traps employers can fall into in remote workplaces; and the challenges employers who resist hybrid or remote-work options may face in retaining and recruiting employees in the future.Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Imperative—premium background checks with fast and friendly service. For more information about our commitment to quality and excellent customer service, visit us at https://imperativeinfo.com. If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com. About our Guest:Sarah Glaser is an employment attorney with Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend, P.C. in Austin. Sarah helps employers navigate compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws. She works directly with her clients in hiring, leave programs, performance counseling, workplace safety, and the many issues that arise as a result of the termination of an employment relationship. Sarah advises her clients with the goal of providing efficient, cost-effective representation rooted in an understanding of the business. Although avoiding litigation is always a goal, Sarah also represents clients in front of federal and state courts and administrative agencies, such as the EEOC. Sarah was named a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star in the area of Employment Litigation: Defense for the years 2019 through 2021 and was named a Top Austin Attorney by Austin Monthly Magazine in Labor and Employment in 2020 and 2021.Sarah can be reached at (512) 322-5881 or sglaser@lglawfirm.com.About Mike Coffey:Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, human resources professional, licensed private investigator, and HR consultant.In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations firm helping risk-averse companies make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business.Today, Imperative serves hundreds of businesses across the US and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies.Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence and has twice been named HR Professional of the Year.Additionally, Imperative is included in the prestigious Best Places to Work in Texas list and has been named the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year.Mike is a member of the Fort Worth chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization and volunteers with the SHRM Texas State Council.Mike maintains his certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute. He is also a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).Mike lives in Fort Worth with his very patient wife. He practices yoga and maintains a keto diet, about both of which he will gladly tell you way more than you want to know.Learning Objectives:
Create policies that ensure data security and confidentiality for remote employees.
Understand how different states’ laws that affect multistate employers.
Understand how wage and hour considerations affect work-from-home employee