Labor Law

Remote Work as an ADA Accommodation: What Recent Court Decisions Mean for Employers

Remote Work as an ADA Accommodation: What Recent Court Decisions Mean for Employers

Employer Liability, Employment Law, HR Compliance, Labor Law

As employers continue recalibrating return-to-office expectations in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic, many are facing a steady stream of requests for full-time remote work as a disability accommodation under the ADA. Recent federal appellate decisions offer important guidance. Courts continue to treat these requests as highly fact-specific inquiries centered on the essential functions of […]

Remote Work as an ADA Accommodation: What Recent Court Decisions Mean for Employers Read More »

Minnesota ESST Rules: Practical Guidance for Employers on Accrual, Incentives, Documentation & More

Minnesota ESST Rules: Practical Guidance for Employers on Accrual, Incentives, Documentation & More

HR Compliance, Labor Law, Minnesota Employment Law, Sick Leave

Minnesota’s Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) has finalized administrative rules for the Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) Law, effective July 6, 2026. These clarifications address key pain points for employers—attendance incentives, documentation, accrual calculations, and policy interactions—making compliance more straightforward while protecting employee rights. Designating & Changing the Accrual Year The statute defines

Minnesota ESST Rules: Practical Guidance for Employers on Accrual, Incentives, Documentation & More Read More »

Should You Fire Bob? HR’s 3-Part Checklist for Termination Decisions Involving Misconduct and Alcoholism

Should You Fire Bob? HR’s 3-Part Checklist for Termination Decisions Involving Misconduct and Alcoholism

Firing, Labor Law, Workplace Conflict, Workplace Policies, Workplace Safety

Bob was a solid, long-term employee. But at the company retreat, he stayed late at the bar, had a few too many drinks, and made a highly inappropriate pass at a member of the hotel staff. The hotel had enough and called you, his supervisor, to come get him. You dutifully complied and found Bob

Should You Fire Bob? HR’s 3-Part Checklist for Termination Decisions Involving Misconduct and Alcoholism Read More »

FLSA Reclassification: 5 Steps to Move from Exempt to Non-Exempt Compliance

FLSA Reclassification: 5 Steps to Move from Exempt to Non-Exempt Compliance

Employment Law, Labor Law, Minnesota Employment Law

In the first installment on FLSA classifications we suggested that employers perform an internal audit to assess compliance with FLSA and state law exemptions from overtime. In this post, we review a key strategic tool to address the misclassifications. Reclassification from exempt to non-exempt is a key compliance step under the FLSA. When done proactively,

FLSA Reclassification: 5 Steps to Move from Exempt to Non-Exempt Compliance Read More »

DOL Issues Technical Amendment Reinstating 2019 FLSA Overtime Regulations

DOL Restores Pre-2024 FLSA Overtime Exemptions: $684/Week Salary Threshold Now in Effect

Employee Compensation, Employment Law, Labor Law

On Thursday, May 14, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a technical amendment formally restoring the pre-2024 regulatory text governing overtime exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), implementing federal court orders that had already vacated the Biden-era salary threshold rule. For employers across the country, this development carries immediate and practical implications.

DOL Restores Pre-2024 FLSA Overtime Exemptions: $684/Week Salary Threshold Now in Effect Read More »

Bloomington Eliminates Local ESST Ordinance as State Law Takes Precedence

Bloomington Repeals ESST Ordinance: What Minnesota Employers Need to Know

Employment Law, Labor Law, Minnesota Employment Law

On April 27, 2026, Bloomington, Minnesota repealed its Earned Sick and Safe Time Ordinance. As explained in the corresponding meeting agenda packet, “the primary purpose of Bloomington’s ESST ordinance, to guarantee paid sick and safe time, has been fulfilled by the statewide law.” Bloomington is the second Minnesota city to repeal its paid sick and safe leave ordinance

Bloomington Repeals ESST Ordinance: What Minnesota Employers Need to Know Read More »

Menopause at Work: When Accommodation Expectations Become Explicit Law

Menopause at Work: When Accommodation Expectations Become Explicit Law

Employee Health, Employment Law, Labor Law

Historically, menopause has not been specifically identified as a protected medical condition under state and federal law, even though its related symptoms in many cases are medical conditions covered by existing leave and accommodation laws. That is rapidly changing. In 2025, Rhode Island became the first state to expressly require workplace accommodations for employees experiencing menopause

Menopause at Work: When Accommodation Expectations Become Explicit Law Read More »

Drafting Lawful Performance Improvement Plans After Muldrow and Walsh

Drafting Lawful Performance Improvement Plans After Muldrow and Walsh

Employee Performance, Employment Law, Labor Law

Establishing a claim of unlawful discrimination or retaliation in the workplace requires, among other elements, that an employee show they experienced an “adverse employment action.” Since Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, 601 U.S. 346 (2024), where the U.S. Supreme Court held that an employee need not show “significant” harm, but only “some harm,” to establish an

Drafting Lawful Performance Improvement Plans After Muldrow and Walsh Read More »

Navigating Political Expression in the Workplace: Legal Risks and Best Practices

Navigating Political Expression in the Workplace: Legal Risks and Best Practices

Employment Law, Labor Law, Minnesota Employment Law

This past year employers in the United States have seen an increase in workplace political discourse as they try to balance offering freedom of expression, avoiding workplace division, and complying with state and federal laws. This guide highlights the laws that could be implicated with workplace political speech, and offers tips on minimizing liability. Laws

Navigating Political Expression in the Workplace: Legal Risks and Best Practices Read More »

DOL's 2026 Proposed Rule: Easier Independent Contractor Classifications with Core Focus on Control and Profit/Loss

DOL’s 2026 Proposed Rule: Easier Independent Contractor Classifications with Core Focus on Control and Profit/Loss

Employment Law, Labor Law, Minnesota Employment Law

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed another revision to independent contractor regulations, one that would provide for more leeway in classifying workers as contractors. DOL’s proposed rule, published on February 26, 2026, would rescind the Biden DOL’s March 2024 independent contractor regulation and reinstate a framework substantially tracking the prior Trump rule of

DOL’s 2026 Proposed Rule: Easier Independent Contractor Classifications with Core Focus on Control and Profit/Loss Read More »

Questions About Our HR Services?
Talk to Synergy HR Today.

Contact Us