It’s a new year and Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (WPFML) benefits are in full effect. The Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) closed out 2019 by publishing the new WPFML workplace poster required for all Washington employers. The poster must be displayed where you usually post other employment-related notices, such as in the…
Read More…
January 1, 2020, the date your employees will be able to apply for Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave (WPFML) benefits, is right around the corner. Here’s an update on where things stand and a reminder about our resources: Rulemaking: The Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) has completed its rulemaking (click the…
Read More…
On December 11, 2019, Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) announced major changes to Washington’s minimum salary requirements for exempt workers and to the “duties test” for executive, administrative, and professional workers, which will be effective July 1, 2020. As Vigilant previously reported, when L&I first proposed these rules, Vigilant submitted comments suggesting…
Read More…
The Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) just released new resources to help your employees apply for Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) benefits starting on January 1, 2020. The downloadable tools are available here, and include a Parent’s Guide (how to apply for bonding leave), a Patient and Family Guide (how to…
Read More…
Washington Paid Family & Medical Leave is coming. Starting on January 1, 2020, your employees will be able to apply for Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave benefits. The law created a lot of questions and many employers are still struggling to find answers. We're here to help. Below you will find a number…
Read More…
In Washington, an employee may bring a legal claim against an individual supervisor who participated in an employment termination decision, according to a federal district court. A former middle school principal brought a claim for wrongful discharge in violation of public policy against both the school district and the individual…
Read More…
Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has finally issued regulations requiring covered Washington employers to follow federal requirements and file annual injury and illness reports electronically with federal OSHA starting in 2020. As explained on OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application web page, the reporting portal will open again on January 2, 2020, and the…
Read More…
Washington has a new law intended to prevent the sexual harassment or assault of certain isolated workers. The law applies to every hotel, motel, retail, security guard entity, or “property services contractor” that employs a custodian, security guard, hotel or motel housekeeper, or room-service employee who spends a majority of their working…
Read More…
WASHINGTON: Law restricts salary inquiries and requires disclosures Last week, Governor Inslee signed amendments to the Washington Equal Pay and Opportunities Act, which will prohibit employers from asking candidates about their prior salary history, and require employers to provide wage scales or salary ranges to candidates upon request. When this new…
Read More…
Vigilant Helps Save Employer $67K by Crunching the Numbers One of the surprising ways employers can save on a workers’ comp claim is to just go ahead and keep an injured worker on full salary (KOS) instead of depending on L&I to supplement wages. Washington, unlike most states, allows employers to pay wages…
Read More…