Whether natural disasters, cybersecurity attacks or global pandemics, workplace disturbances occur frequently and when companies least expect them. Disaster preparedness and business continuity plans (BCPs) have never held more importance, especially with the events this past year has offered. A wide variety of hazards can occur in the workplace,...
Last month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provided welcome clarity to employers continuing to navigate COVID-19-related employment challenges. See U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws,” updated on May 28, 2021.
Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policies
One...
Can Oil Field Workers be Paid a Daily Salary and Still be Exempt from Overtime?
Annette Idalski and Brian Smith - 0
The last two years have brought uncertainty to the issue of whether oilfield workers paid on a day-rate compensation plan may be properly classified as exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In a series of decisions from August 2019 to March 2021, the Fifth Circuit...
If you do business in the oil and gas industry, you know that lawsuits are inevitable. The uncertainties of drilling success, coupled with volatile markets and prices, often spawn disputes that end up with at least the threat of litigation. While you can’t entirely protect your business from lawsuits,...
In the past decade, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) finance has grown tremendously and is no longer just a passing option for industries looking to redirect capital.
While they might not seem to offer obvious opportunities to the petroleum energy market, ESG programs and products are quickly becoming an expectation...
For parents and caregivers striving for children to get a great education, these are challenging times. Continuously weighing the health risks of in-person learning against the balancing act of distance learning is a daunting task. Throw in the likelihood of learning loss from COVID slide and queue the pounding...
The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and 2021 has presented numerous challenges for employers attempting to balance employee and customer safety and business operations. With the introduction of three vaccines that could greatly reduce or halt COVID-19 cases, the light at the end of the tunnel seems to be approaching....
What began last March as a brief relocation from the office to a work-at-home setting eventually transitioned into something much more. The weeks bled into months, ultimately extending over the course of the year for many folks. The brake on economic activity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic sapped more...
The North Face is inviting scorn and maybe a little coal into their petroleum-based stockings this Christmas.
Why does a performance nylon apparel brand want to cut off their nose to spite their face? The North Face, a high-end outdoor brand, made the latest move in the never-ending quest to...
Protecting Against Overtime Lawsuits During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Annette A. Idalski and James Fielding - 0
COVID-19 has the potential to create a variety of wage and hour complications and may put employers at risk for violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This is especially true for oil and gas companies, given the industry’s unique reliance upon both skilled field workers and knowledgeable...