14 September 2026 EN ES
Employment Bench

Workplace law for the people who have to apply it on Monday

Section

Hiring & Firing

Offers, classification, and ending it properly.

September 2026

What the Proposed Contractor Rule Actually Changes

A federal rewrite of the contractor test is only proposed so far. Here's what already changed in enforcement, and why your state's test still governs regardless.

What Changed in Pay Transparency for Job Postings

Delaware and Maine just added new posting rules, and New Jersey and California tightened existing ones. What the law requires now, and what still counts as a best guess.

The FTC's Noncompete Ban Is Gone. Here's What Replaced It.

The FTC dropped its nationwide noncompete ban and moved to case-by-case enforcement. Here's what the state patchwork now requires, and what's merely the safer choice.

August 2026

Final Paychecks Run on State Clocks, Not One Federal One

Payroll often assumes the normal cycle covers a departing employee. In some states that assumption is already a violation before the manager finishes the sentence.

The 60-Day Clock Behind Every Mass Layoff

WARN notice is not a courtesy sent alongside the layoff announcement. What actually triggers the 60-day requirement, who counts as covered, and what a missed notice costs.

The Exceptions Hiding Inside 'At-Will' Employment

At-will sounds like permission to fire for any reason. Courts have spent decades carving out exceptions, and the most common ones come from unwritten promises, not written contracts.

Before a Background Check Costs Someone a Job

A background check is not a simple pass-fail gate. What federal rules actually require before a finding turns into a rejection, and where employers most often skip a step.

The Independent Contractor Test Is Changing Again

Employers just finished adapting to one federal classification test. A new proposal points back toward the old one. What is actually settled right now, and what is not.

The I-9 Deadline Is a Hiring Deadline, Not a Filing Task

Form I-9 reads like paperwork, but the clock behind it is unforgiving. What the three-day rule actually requires, and why the file cabinet matters years later.

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