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Washington has enacted sweeping changes to the enforceability of noncompetition agreements. House Bill 1155, effective June 30, 2027, will render most noncompetition covenants void and impose new compliance obligations on employers and businesses. Key Takeaways What Counts as a Noncompetition Agreement? The statute defines a noncompetition covenant broadly to include any agreement that restrains an […]
All eight regions in Washington State are now in Phase 2 under Governor Jay Inslee’s Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery plan for phased reopening of business. With COVID-19 infection numbers in decline across the state, businesses are champing at the bit for “Phase 3”. After all, the thinking goes, if the Governor is now […]
On January 6, 2021, the Washington State Department of Health released an estimated timeline for priority vaccination for COVID-19 and who qualifies. The release got buried in the rubble of a very busy news day, given what occurred in the “other Washington” on that date. But the observant eye saw something in the timeline that […]
Like the New Year, it’s out with the old plan and in with a new plan for Washington State businesses in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective January 11, 2021, Washington’s Safe Start plan for addressing business operations will be replaced by a new plan, which Governor Jay Inslee calls the “Healthy Washington – […]
The COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on society have accelerated the digital transformation of the modern workplace. With the increasing use of telecommuting technologies and more employers instituting permanent work from home policies, employees and employers are – or should be – asking the question: what are the potential legal issues an employer may face […]
To update my last update on cloth face coverings in Washington State, Governor Jay Inslee has announced that he will issue an order that requires businesses statewide to refuse service to customers who don’t wear face coverings. The requirement will take effect July 7, 2020. With an uptick in COVID-19 cases across the state, […]
Beginning Friday, June 26, 2020, face coverings are required statewide in Washington State in indoor public settings and outdoor public locations where six feet of distancing cannot be maintained. The last section of this post addresses what this requirement means for your business. King County started it all in May 2020 when it issued […]
Twenty-Five Percent Threshold On March 27, 2020, Governor Inslee signed Senate Bill 6037 into law, effective on June 11, 2020. Pursuant to Senate Bill 6037, a new section will be added to RCW 23B.08 (the Washington Business Corporation Act, “WBCA”), requiring all public companies in Washington to diversify their boards of directors by January 1, […]
On June 5, 2020, King County was approved for “modified Phase 1” under Washington State’s Safe Start Washington plan for reopening business in phases. Modified Phase 1 is not everything that Phase 2 is, but it’s more than Phase 1 where the county has been stuck while other counties have moved to Phase 2, and […]
Beginning June 8, 2020, cloth face coverings and masks must be worn by all workers in all workplaces and job sites in Washington state.