Fisher Phillips News

AI is quickly becoming an essential operational and strategic tool for employers in all industries, and manufacturing is no exception. From optimizing organizations’ HR functions to ensuring work environments are safe and productive, AI is influencing just about every aspect of work. And we are just scratching the surface on understanding the value this technology can drive. In this two-part episo...

AI is quickly becoming an essential operational and strategic tool for employers in all industries, and manufacturing is no exception. From optimizing organizations’ HR functions to ensuring work environments are safe and productive, AI is influencing just about every aspect of work. And we are just scratching the surface on understanding the value this technology can drive. In this two-part episo...

Much has been written about an historically low unemployment rate, and the related challenges that manufacturing employers face in trying to fill a significant backlog of job openings. Despite this glut of available jobs, the need to implement reductions in force (RIFs) does present itself more often than might be expected, for a wide range of business reasons that are disconnected from unemployme...

Much has been written about an historically low unemployment rate, and the related challenges that manufacturing employers face in trying to fill a significant backlog of job openings. Despite this glut of available jobs, the need to implement reductions in force (RIFs) does present itself more often than might be expected, for a wide range of business reasons that are disconnected from unemployme...

Much has been written about an historically low unemployment rate, and the related challenges that manufacturing employers face in trying to fill a significant backlog of job openings. Despite this glut of available jobs, the need to implement reductions in force (RIFs) does present itself more often than might be expected, for a wide range of business reasons that are disconnected from unemployme...

Issues concerning workplace safety represent a significant source of challenges to employers’ approach to legal compliance. This is the case across industries, however for obvious reasons the threat is especially acute for manufacturers. And while this reality is hardly newsworthy on its own, the COVID-19 pandemic has for three years forced a dramatic reallocation of OSHA’s time and energy. But wi...

Issues concerning workplace safety represent a significant source of challenges to employers’ approach to legal compliance. This is the case across industries, however for obvious reasons the threat is especially acute for manufacturers. And while this reality is hardly newsworthy on its own, the COVID-19 pandemic has for three years forced a dramatic reallocation of OSHA’s time and energy. But wi...

In this episode of Manufacturing Success, we look into some of the issues concerning wage and hour compliance in the manufacturing industry. It is not a secret that manufacturers are racing to hire as many employees as possible to replace an entire generation of workers who are reaching retirement age. However, recruitment is not the only difficulty manufacturers face; manufacturers are challenged...

Business leaders in the manufacturing industry must continually assess the efficiency of their organizations’ operations. A significant piece of the math that helps to measure efficiency comes down to geography. Where are your operations based? How accessible is it to your supplier partners? What about proximity to rail and other modes of transportation? Does it feature an appealing structure for...

The NLRB remains in the midst of an extremely active year, defined in no small part by the drive to roll back certain pro-employer initiatives implemented by the Trump Administration. A swinging pendulum of priorities from one administration to the next is pro forma for the NLRB. But the 2023 swing projects to be more pronounced than many other years. In this episode of Manufacturing Success, host...

2023 is shaping up to be one of the more active years at the NLRB in recent memory. The Biden Board has already started rolling back a number of pro-employer initiatives implemented during the Trump Administration, but the most significant efforts to support organized labor have yet to unfold. In this two-part episode of Manufacturing Success, host Mike Carrouth is joined by Steve Mitchell, co-cha...

2023 is shaping up to be one of the more active years at the NLRB in recent memory. The Biden Board has already started rolling back a number of pro-employer initiatives implemented during the Trump Administration, but the most significant efforts to support organized labor have yet to unfold. In this two-part episode of Manufacturing Success, host Mike Carrouth is joined by Steve Mitchell, co-cha...

On January 5th 2023, the FTC took historic action ostensibly aimed at stamping out the “unfair” use of non-complete clauses in employment contracts. The proposed rule is broad and sweeping, with thousands of employers and millions of employees set to be impacted if it takes effect. For now, the FTC’s efforts can be characterized as “throwing the baby out with the bath water.” But there is a long w...

In the first episode of “Manufacturing Success,” host Mike Carrouth is joined by David Walton for a high-level discussion around the increasingly important topic of people analytics and how its associated principles relate to human resources in the workplace. Big data, analytics, artificial intelligence and human resource functions come together at a workplace crossroads that can have a big impact...

More than a half-year has passed since the Supreme Court ruled in Van Buren v. United States that one "exceeds authorized access" by accessing off-limit files and other information on a computer system they were otherwise authorized to access, effectively narrowing the applicability of the CFAA in prosecuting cybersecurity and computer crime. At that time, Brent Cossrow and Dave Walton shared rapi...

In this episode, Brent Cossrow and Dave Walton are joined by Risa Boerner, Chair of the Data Security and Workplace Privacy Practice Group at Fisher Phillips, for a discussion around employee privacy through the lens of Stengart v. Loving Care Agency, Inc., 990 A.2d 650 (2010). Though more than 10 year old, the New Jersey Supreme Court’s decision in Stengart continues to manifest itself on a very...

In this episode, Brent Cossrow and Dave Walton wrap up their discussion around the intersection of data analytics and the workplace. Having reviewed the basics of big data in practical terms ( Part I ) and how powerful algorithms designed for use in theaters of war are making their way into HR departments across the country ( Part II ), Brent and Dave dig a little deeper into use-cases for this te...

In this episode, Brent Cossrow and Dave Walton continue their discussion around the intersection of data analytics and the workplace. Powerful algorithms designed for use in theaters of war have made their way into HR departments across the country, helping organizations in connection with training, promotion, recruitment, hiring and more. The technology is strong and its impact on HR functions is...

In this episode, Brent Cossrow and Dave Walton review the basics of big data in practical terms. What are analytics and why is discussion of their value so pervasive? How, when and why does the use analytics move from the realm of data scientists to the desks of human resource professionals and in-house counsel? Like so many aspects of employment law, the answers are both complicated and evolving....

In this episode, Brent Cossrow and Dave Walton continue to unpack the Van Buren v. United States Supreme Court ruling and the new “gates up or down” era of data protection it has unleashed. Part II focuses on even more recent cases that have discussed the Court’s decision in Van Buren, which is less than 60-days old. The ruling in Van Buren stands to impact millions of Americans and their rights w...

In June 2021, the Supreme Court ruled in Van Buren v. United States that one "exceeds authorized access" by accessing off-limit files and other information on a computer system they were otherwise authorized to access, effectively narrowing the applicability of the CFAA in prosecuting cybersecurity and computer crime. The ruling also marks the start of a “gates up or down” era for employers seekin...

On Friday July 9, 2021, President Biden signed a much-anticipated Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy . The Order is ambitious in spirit, but its true impact on employers seems to depend on exactly how the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) interprets and applies its mandate. In this podcast, Brent Cossrow and Dave Walton, partners in the Philadelphia office of Fisher Phil...

How to roll out an updated and compliant mask policy is on every employer’s mind right now, especially as vaccination status plays such a key role in your decisions. This podcast, with co-leader of the Firm’s Vaccine Subcommittee, Kevin Troutman, will discuss best practices from distinguishing vaccinated employees and non-vaccinated employees, the ADA and EEOC considerations, and how firm clients...

In this podcast, Fisher Phillips partner and co-leader of the Firm’s Vaccine Subcommittee, Kevin Troutman, returns to chat with Travis Vance about the ins and outs of the new CDC mask guidance for vaccinated workers and how employers can navigate this very fluid field. The discussion touches on updated OSHA considerations that remain paramount during this turbulent time.

The success of your organization depends on effective management of remote workers. Are your remote workers visible, or invisible? Is the connection between the management of your organization and the invisible workforce best characterized as “remote,” in the sense that management does not know whether the workers are productive? Or are hurting? Or are organizing a union? Or are planning to leave?...