Archive
Employee Terminations: Avoiding Claims & Liability
On Tuesday, October 29th MBBP is hosting a complimentary breakfast program titled “Employee Terminations: Avoiding Claims & Liability“. Discharging an employee is one of the most difficult parts of a manager’s (and HR professional’s) job. It is also the employment action most likely to expose a business to legal claims and liability. Discharged employees can bring a wide array of claims, including breach of contract, wrongful discharge, discrimination, and retaliation. Increasingly, discharged employees also assert claims focusing on the manner in which they were discharged and on post-termination conduct by employers, including claims of defamation, false imprisonment, and non-payment of wages.
Consequently, before discharging an employee, it is critical that employers (1) carefully evaluate the discharge decision; (2) prepare appropriate paperwork and plan for the termination meeting; and (3) be prepared to comply with the legal obligations that arise on and after the date of termination.
This Program is designed to help HR professionals, managers and in-house counsel develop a rational and strategic approach to employee terminations. We will review the major areas of risk and the common employer pitfalls and traps for the unwary. We will lead a very practical discussion with attendees focused on developing best practices that will avoid employee claims and liability.
This event is complimentary, but space is limited! Please visit our event page for more information or to register.
Noncompetition Agreements: Protecting Customer Relationships & Confidential Information
On Tuesday, April 23rd MBBP is hosting a complimentary breakfast program titled “Noncompetition Agreements: Protecting Customer Relationships & Confidential Information“. Employers often ask: “Are our non-compete agreements with employees enforceable?” The answer often depends on whether the employer took the necessary steps to put an effective agreement in place. Courts in Massachusetts generally will enforce reasonable agreements when necessary to protect particular employer interests, such as customer relationships and trade, from misappropriation. On the other hand, courts generally do not enforce non-compete (or non-solicit and non-disclosure agreements) when no real protectable interests are at stake, the restrictions are unreasonable, or the employer has undermined its ability to enforce them.
This Program will identify the steps employers can take to increase the likelihood that a court will enforce its restrictive agreements with employees, provide education and insight into how such agreements are enforced by employers, and de-mystify the litigation process. We will also review recent legal developments that may affect whether the agreements you currently have in place with employees are vulnerable to attack by departing employees.
Our presenters have decades of experience advising employers and litigating cases in this area and we expect that attendees will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the program. Through discussion, we expect a very enlightening exchange of practical ideas and a range of employer experiences.
Please visit our event page for more information or to register.
Massachusetts Employment Law Blog 