BY Chantell Foley, Partner, and Alba Aviles, Of Counsel, Fisher Phillips Employers, including healthcare organizations, should prepare for increased safety and health enforcement efforts now that federal labor and workplace safety officials have entered a partnership to bolster whistleblower protections. Specifically, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced on October 31 that they entered into an agreement to enhance information sharing and cross-agency consultations, training, outreach, and...

By George A. Reeves, III, Partner, Fisher Phillips   One-on-one (or 1:1) meetings are essential to ensure your organization is operating smoothly and are a crucial part of an effective human resources strategy to ensure good workplace relations in the healthcare setting. They are regularly scheduled meetings – perhaps weekly, perhaps monthly, or at some other regular cadence – between supervisors and team members. The sky’s the limit when setting an appropriate agenda for them,...

BY Jessica Cook, Partner, Fisher Phillips   Texas healthcare employers seeking to hire physicians should explore the J-1 Waiver Program.  The J-1 Waiver Program allows employers to hire physicians to work in healthcare facilities in rural and health shortage areas or serve those communities. Under the J-1 Waiver Program, the foreign physician must work for the sponsoring healthcare facility for three years.  Therefore, this immigration option can be a great tool to alleviate physician shortages. ...

BY Travis Vance, Regional Managing Partner, Co-chair of Fisher Phillips’ Workplace Safety and Catastrophe Management Practice Group, Fisher Phillips, and Kevin Troutman, Senior Counsel, Fisher Phillips   With maximum limits for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties increasing every year – currently over $15,000 for serious/other than serious citations and more than $150,000 for a repeat and willful – knowing what to do when OSHA arrives at your door is more important than ever. That’s the...

BY Travis Vance, Regional Managing Partner, Co-chair of Fisher Phillips’ Workplace Safety and Catastrophe Management Practice Group, Fisher Phillips, and Kevin Troutman, Senior Counsel, Fisher Phillips With maximum limits for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties increasing every year – currently over $15,000 for serious/other than serious citations and more than $150,000 for a repeat and willful – knowing what to do when OSHA arrives at your door is more important than ever. That’s the purpose...

BY Travis Vance, Regional Managing Partner, Co-chair of Fisher Phillips’ Workplace Safety and Catastrophe Management Practice Group, Fisher Phillips, and Kevin Troutman, Senior Counsel, Fisher Phillips   With maximum limits for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties increasing every year – currently over $15,000 for serious/other than serious citations and more than $150,000 for a repeat and willful – knowing what to do when OSHA arrives at your door is more important than ever....

BY Travis Vance, Regional Managing Partner, and Kevin Troutman, Senior Counsel, Fisher Phillips Part One: Don’t Allow Supervisor Interviews on Inspection Day With maximum limits for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties increasing every year – currently over $15,000 for serious/other than serious citations and more than $150,000 foa repeat and willful – knowing what to do when OSHA arrives at your door is more important than ever. That’s why we’re providing this four-part series...

BY Sarah Wieselthier, Of Counsel, and Kevin Troutman, Senior Counsel, Fisher Phillips You are probably tired of hearing about staffing shortages and burnout. However, retention of nurses and other key professionals remains a major issue for Texas healthcare employers.  You may also explore traditional retention approaches, like increasing compensation or improving schedule flexibility.  On-demand pay is a revolutionary employee benefits program that you may also consider, as it has proved to enhance recruitment and retention...

BY Lauren Frisch, Associate, and David Walton, CIPP/US, Partner, Fisher Phillips   The federal government just announced a proposed rule which would ban non-compete agreements between nearly all employers and all workers — employees, independent contractors, externs, interns, volunteers, apprentices, and even sole proprietors who provide a service to a client or customer. When announcing the new proposed rule this morning, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stated the widespread use of non-competes agreements is an “often exploitative practice that...

By Kevin Troutman, Partner, Fisher Phillips   Here in the midst of the season for holiday gatherings, it is not too late for administrative and human resources (HR) leaders to review their plans and to help ensure that a holiday party does not turn into a visit from “the Grinch,” fraught with headaches and unpleasant surprises. Although parties typically boost morale and build comradery, they can also become hotbeds for potential employer liability.   While...