Employer Law Blog

Employee evaluations are not fun. But, they can be important for many reasons. A properly executed evaluation can benefit both the employer and the employee by increasing efficiency and productivity and providing valuable and constructive feedback to the employee. It can also help an employee feel engaged in their work and connected to the organization.

On April 15, 2014, in Templemire v. W & M Welding, Inc., the Missouri Supreme Court continued its pro employee interpretation of the employment at-will doctrine by significantly reducing the causality standard for a workers compensation retaliation claims. Prior to this ruling, Missouri law had long required an employee to prove that the alleged retaliatory motive was the “exclusive factor” for the adverse action, typically a termination.

The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) started 2014 by capitulating on its efforts to force employers to post a notice at work which advised employees how they could form a union in order to collectively bargain. The NLRB announced this mandatory posting rule in August 2011, which would have required all private sector employers, whether unionized or not, to conspicuously post an 11x17 notice at work that outlined a number of employee rights under the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”). While the new posting obligation was originally scheduled to take effect in November 2011, a number of legal challenges were filed which delayed enforcement of this posting obligation.