Protecting Trade Secrets Non-competition agreements assure businesses that employees will not be able to take the intellectual property gained while working with them and establish their competing companies. These contract clauses are becoming increasingly common as the economy becomes increasingly technical. Performance of jobs increasingly involves the use of trade secrets, specialized custom-written intellectual property, and… Read more »
Villaume & Schiek Blog
What’s A Non-Compete Agreement?
People get a lot of papers to sign when they first hire on with a company. You may, however, be surprised when your new employer presents you with a non-compete agreement, sometimes called a restrictive covenant, as part of the hiring process. Here are a few things you should know about these types of agreements…. Read more »
Your Minnesota Employee Rights Regarding Meals and Break Periods
Meal breaks and rest periods are among the most misunderstood and abused of all the employee rights. In part, because many employers feel that their requirement to supply these breaks is up for interpretation. While the timing and length of these breaks can vary, Minnesota employees have an absolute right to meal breaks and rest… Read more »
Guidelines for Finding the Right Employment Law Attorney
If you’ve ever had to find an employment law attorney, you know how stressful this decision can be because not having the right person to represent you can affect your financial security. Since there are a multitude of employment law attorneys from which to choose, making the correct choice can be difficult if you don’t… Read more »
When Might I Need the Services of an Employment Attorney?
You may feel like you have been discriminated at work on wrongfully terminated, or some other situation that has adversely affected your employment. Your first instinct is probably to speak with an employment attorney before making any next steps, but how can they help? WHAT DOES AN EMPLOYMENT LAWYER DO? Employment lawyers represent employees in… Read more »
Minnesota Workplace Harassment Lawyers
Though you deserve a safe and friendly work environment, there are times when your employer and other employees can make your place of employment uncomfortable and stressful. You can’t always do anything about it (other than move on). However, there are times when you may feel singled out due to your identity. If you are… Read more »
Receiving SSDI Benefits if You Become Disabled in Minnesota
Becoming disabled can quickly turn your life upside down. If you cannot work, then you cannot pay your bills. Luckily, you might qualify to collect Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) to cover your expenses if you become disabled. What is SSDI? Funded through payroll taxes, SSDI is a government program administered by the Social Security Administration. … Read more »
Disparate Employment Actions: What is the Four Fifths Rule?
Federal agencies that are responsible for enforcing equal employment laws and civil rights have several ways they can evaluate the impacts of adverse job actions and disparate treatment on both individuals and groups. Individual concerns may be easy to evaluate by comparing job actions to peers; when systems are large and complex, however, finding the truth about how employees… Read more »
What Qualifies as Job Discrimination?
When it comes to the workplace, fair treatment should be the order of the day. Everything from getting hired for a job, to being promoted to a new position, to being demoted or even terminated, needs to be based on objective standards. However, that ideal has rarely been the case in a practical sense. Discrimination… Read more »
How Do You Prove Disparate Treatment?
What is Disparate Treatment? If an employee makes a claim of disparate treatment against his employer, it means that he believes that his employer has discriminated against him based on his membership in a protected class (race, religion, gender, national origin, sexuality, disability or other “difference”). The employee can make such a claim under Title VII… Read more »