As if losing employees wasn’t distressing enough, a former Google executive’s recent criminal indictment for trade secret misappropriation has served as a reminder as to how messy things can get if proper precautions are not taken. Often times, a business’s success is largely attributed to a trade secret – whether it’s a list of valuable... View Article
We previously posted an article about the new non-compete legislation in Washington that was expected to be signed into law. Since that original article was posted, the bill was in fact signed and Washington employers should begin preparing for the new rules to take effect on January 1, 2020. But what do employers really need... View Article
A number of years ago, I asked my husband, a finance guy, to review the company’s budget for the coming year. He looked at our projected top line revenue (which was projected to be a significant increase over the prior year) and asked, “Where’s the additional revenue coming from?” My response was that I took... View Article
The term audit typically carries a heavy, negative connotation. And it makes sense — especially for business owners. Being subject to an audit means taking your time and attention away from your daily operations and the things that matter most to you. However, it is possible to make an audit less painful and to take... View Article
For many companies, a commercial lease is one of the most critical and high-value contracts into which they’ll ever enter. While the average commercial lease term is between 3 to 5 years, these leases can run up to 10 years, plus extension periods. Unlike most other contracts that a business might sign, a commercial lease... View Article
As a business owner, you want to avoid costly employer mistakes. But one of the most complicated challenges you’ll face is successfully managing and leading employees. And it’s rarely the “legal” side of being an employer that poses a problem, but the issues surrounding employee happiness and productivity. These crucial concepts are driven by policies... View Article
On June 11, 2019, the Workplace Fairness Act was signed into law in Oregon, limiting employers’ use of confidentiality/nondisclosure/non-disparagement agreements with employees that relate to harassment (including sexual harassment), discrimination and/or sexual assault. Here are the changes Oregon employers and businesses with employees in Oregon need to know about: These types of agreements will only... View Article
In a wicked world, relying upon experience from a single domain is not only limiting, it can be disastrous. David Epstein, Author of Range: Why Generalist Triumph in a Specialized World You probably see a doctor a few times a year — both for preventive medicine or when something just isn’t right. Your general practitioner... View Article
If you are a business owner with more than 100 employees, you’re likely already familiar with the Employer Information Report (EEO-1). For anyone who is not already familiar, the EEO-1 Report is a “compliance survey mandated by federal statute and regulations… [which] requires company employment data to be categorized by race/ethniticy, gender, and job category.”[1]... View Article