The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently posted guidance to help employers identify COVID-19 risks to unvaccinated or otherwise at-risk workers, and help prevent exposure and infection. Because the CDC has advised that fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing, the guidance is designed to aid employers in providing a safe work place for the unvaccinated and the vaccinated who are at-risk despite being vaccinated.
Last month, the EEOC issued guidance regarding whether or not employers can require employees to obtain the Covid-19 vaccination as a condition of employment. Under the EEOC guidelines, the answer is “Yes, but.”
Everyone in business wants to collect their accounts receivable. It’s easy – you earned the money and you should be paid; however, that is not always how it works out. And, when the account is not paid, you inevitably have to decide whether to file suit to collect the account, and whether you want to spend the money to do so. There is no question that lawsuits are expensive, and that leads to the question of whether the costs can be kept in check and whether attorney’s fees and litigation expenses can be recovered. The answer to the first question is now “Yes,” and the answer to the second is “Well, maybe.”
Modern commercial contracts often have dispute resolution provisions buried in the “boilerplate” at the end of the contract. Often, the boilerplate provisions at the end of contracts are overlooked because they are “standard”, but they should never be overlooked or skimmed because they can have significant consequences. Dispute resolution clauses are one of those since they will define how the parties will resolve any disputes. They will typically specify the state law that will apply to any disputes as well as the forum in which any dispute must be resolved. On occasion, the provisions will address mediation, arbitration and litigation. The question is, what procedure is best for a given situation?
You may not be able to quantify your company’s investment in its business information, but one of its most valuable assets is the accumulated information your company uses to compete in its marketplace. That information can take many forms – customer lists, strategic plans, pricing strategies, material sources, production costs, technical information, formulas, and many more. In the hands of a competitor, that information could give it a competitive advantage and result in loss of sales, market share, relationships and profits that drive the success of your company. The loss of that information is a devastating set back for any company; therefore, if you care about losing your top customers you should be proactive in protecting your business information.
It is often said that the most valuable asset of a business is its people. I am going to take a slightly different view and suggest that while employees are a very valuable asset, they are not the most valuable asset. Rather, I am going to suggest that a company’s systems and business information are its most valuable assets. After all, employees come and go, but solid systems and protection of your business information ensure that the success of your business is not disrupted by a staffing change.