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On April 14, 2023, the Minnesota Senate passed a bill aimed at significantly curbing the use of non-compete agreements for Minnesota workers. The Senate’s bill bans non-compete agreements for employees and independent contractors working in Minnesota. Here’s what you need to know: Definition of “Non-Compete”. The bill passed by the Senate defines a “non-compete” agreement to be any agreement that restricts the employee, after termination, from performing work for another employer for a specific period of time, performing work within a specified geographic area, or performing work for another employer in a capacity similar to the employee’s work for the

Paperwork. When hiring any new employee – whether full time, part-time, permanent, seasonal/temporary – it’s important to ensure you have all the appropriate paperwork completed, filed (if required), and kept in a secure personnel file for every employee, even those that are seasonal. This includes, but is not limited to, new hire reporting to the State, tax withholding paperwork (e.g. W-4); Form I-9; payroll records, and, importantly, the relatively-recently required MN Wage Theft Act Employee Notice. Classifying Employees. Properly classifying employees as exempt or non-exempt (not necessarily synonymous with salaried vs hourly) and paying them appropriately is one of the

A new federal law will go into effect June 27, 2023, that provides rights to pregnant employees.  The law is consistent with current Minnesota law, so it shouldn’t be a big change for most Minnesota employers. Who is impacted?      Employers with 15 or more employees. Who is protected?     Qualified employees who have conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth What’s required?      Employers must provide reasonable accommodations upon request What kinds of accommodation?      Things like: Being allowed to sit or drink water Closer parking Flexible hours Appropriately sized uniforms and safety apparel Additional break time to use the bathroom, eat, and rest

By John Christian, Attorney For many people, purchasing real estate is the largest purchase of their lives. That also makes it the most important purchase in most people’s lives. Because of that, it is important to use the services of someone you trust in the title and closing process. Blethen Berens has a full-service title company within its law firm. The trust that the community places in Blethen Berens for all its legal needs can also be placed in Blethen Berens Title for the community’s title and closing needs. We provide the same services that other title companies in the