Protecting Employee Rights If an employer has to lay off employees or otherwise reduce their workforce, there are specific rules they must abide by. Employees are protected on the federal level and through the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. The reasons employers need to reduce their workforce or lay off employees vary greatly. […]

6 Key Factors That Can Determine Whether Someone Is an Employee or an Independent Contractor Having the freedom to work for yourself, set your own hours, and choose what clients you work with are just some of the benefits of being an independent contractor. But it’s not always easy to determine whether the role you’re

How Are Employees Classified According to Missouri Law? Proper classification of the people a business works with is crucial to ensuring that employment and labor laws are followed. There are two basic classifications for workers within Missouri: employee and independent contractor. Employees can then be further separated into hourly workers and salaried workers. An hourly

Is Remote Work on the Rise in the U.S.? Remote work was already on the rise before 2020, and the global pandemic significantly accelerated that trend. Pew Research Center reports that approximately three years after U.S. workplaces were shut down by the COVID-19 crisis, approximately 35% of workers with jobs that can be performed remotely

How Do Noncompete Agreements Work? A non-compete agreement is either a separate contract or a clause in another contract that prohibits an employee from competing with an employer after the term of employment ends, whether the employee resigns or is terminated. The contract is signed at the beginning of the employer/employee relationship. In most cases,

Inequalities Are Never Acceptable Though it’s been decades since the Equal Pay Act in 1963, which states “to prohibit discrimination on account of sex in the payment of wages by employers engaged in commerce or the production of goods for commerce,” there still seems to be indications that men and women or different races are

What is Collective Bargaining and How Can it Affect Me? Collective bargaining is the act of working together with a group of employees to negotiate items with an employer. Items of discussion may include working hours, training, salary, benefits, equal treatment of all employees, working conditions, and more.  According to the National Labor Relations Board,

What is Whistleblowing? As an employee, you may notice unjust wrongdoings or issues present in your workplace. Many employees hesitate to report these wrongdoings for fear of retaliation of some sort. They may not realize that without them reporting these unlawful acts, employers may continue to engage in illegal activities for years to come. It

What is a Non-Compete? A non-compete clause is one in which one party agrees not to enter into or start a similar profession or trade in competition against another party. Some courts, depending on where they are located, refer to these as “restrictive covenants.” A non-compete clause is usually a contract between an employer and