Prospective Pennsylvania business owners with forward-looking vision and principals of already established commercial entities are obviously smart and proactive people.
Put another way: The business realm is not for the unprepared or faint of heart. Forging ahead with entrepreneurial focus and zeal and transforming an idea into a proven enterprise takes creative spark and continuous application. Many businesses that fail ultimately do so because their creators underestimate the ongoing challenges and fall victim to them.
Those who embrace those challenges and successfully exploit commercial opportunities are typically aided by a mindset that is truly broad-based. That is, they understand that business matters are myriad and incredibly varied in nature. Here are just a few common focal points relevant for company owners across multiple realms:
- Business entity choice/selection
- Contract negotiation and drafting
- Conflict resolution
- Regulatory compliance
- Safeguarding of propriety data
- Employment law concerns
Today’s post zeroes in with some specificity on that last bullet point, given that workforce considerations are logically of top-tier importance for every employer.
The preeminent nature of labor law concerns and outcomes
One authoritative online source discussing the centrality of labor law matters in the workplace duly notes that employment issues “can be a huge headache for a business owner.” That topical overview conjures up the image of company principals “wrestling” with labor-linked problems, which seems a reasonable depiction. For, indeed, business managers routinely grapple with employment challenges.
Here’s one reason why: Employment law has progressively become more expansive and complex over decades. A labor-tied matter these days can involve an intermingling of federal, state and municipal dictates. Additionally, many agencies weigh in with specialized standards and requirements, adding a complicated administrative overlay to a given issue or process.
Here is a composite shot of just a few federal laws relevant to workplace employment matters from within a much larger universe of entrants:
- Civil Rights Act of 1964 (especially its seminal Title VII enumerated categories protected against on-the-job discrimination)
- Fair Labor Standards Act, which governs wage/salary matters and issues relevant to work breaks and overtime
- Family and Medical Act, which broadly applies to issues surrounding authorized leaves of absence from the workplace
- Age Discrimination in Employment Act (the ADEA safeguards against negatively disparate treatment targeting older workers)
- Americans With Disabilities Act, which bars discrimination against disabled workers
A Pennsylvania employer might reasonably have questions or concerns regarding any of those laws or other legislation that speaks to management/employee interactions. A proven employment law legal team can respond with candid guidance and, when necessary, diligent representation.
