PBJ How Oregon Works: Considerations for Managing the Remote Workforce

For the “Remote Workforce” installment of Portland Business Journal’s 2021 How Oregon Works series, Stoel Rives’ labor & employment attorney Laura Rosenbaum contributed an article titled “Considerations for Managing the Remote Workforce,” published February 26, 2021. In the article, Rosenbaum provides some suggestions to help employers maintain the morale of their employees who are working from home and to ensure compliance with applicable state and local employment laws.

Rosenbaum looks at legal issues for employers with employees working remotely regarding wage and hour compliance, accommodation of disabilities, work-related injuries, vacation usage, and state and local employment laws.

With respect to the applicability of state and local laws, she counsels prudence: “Employees working remotely outside an employer’s regular geographic area create state and local law questions, including which jurisdiction’s leave laws and payroll tax regimes apply. While many employers are eager to capitalize on the expanded talent pool available with a remote workforce, employers should be mindful of the legal complications that accompany a multi-state workforce.”

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