Category: Employment Law
Minnesota 2025 Legislative Employment Law Updates
December 11, 2025 | Kristin Kingsbury
The 2025 Minnesota legislature amended various employment law statutes. Here are some changes that are important for employers to know: Mandatory Rest Breaks – Amendments to Minn. Stat. § 177.253 subd. 1 and 3: The new rest break statute goes into effect on January 1, 2026, and requires employers to permit employees a rest break of at least 15 minutes or enough time to utilize the nearest convenient restroom, whichever is longer, within each four consecutive hours worked. If the employer does not allow these rest breaks, the employer could be liable for the employee’s rest break time that should have been allowed at the employee’s regular rate, plus an additional equal amount in liquidated damages. Mandatory Meal Breaks – Amendments to Minn. Stat. § 177.254 subd. 1, 2, and 4: Effective January 1, 2026, employees working six or more consecutive hours must be allowed a meal break of at least 30 minutes. If the employer does not allow an employee to take meal breaks, the employer could be liable for the employee’s meal break time that should have been allowed at the employee’s regular rate, plus an additional equal amount in liquidated damages. Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) – Amendments to Minn. Stat. § 181.9447 subd. 2, 3, and 4 and…
Read MorePaid Family and Medical Leave (Minn. Stat. 268B.01, et seq) Summary:
November 25, 2025 | Kristin Kingsbury
The Minnesota Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) goes into effect January 1, 2026. The Act provides up to 12 weeks paid leave for the employee, up to 12 weeks paid leave for employee’s care/ assistance of family members, and collectively no more than 20 weeks across the two types of leave. PFML applies to all employers regardless of size. Most employees can receive benefits under the leave. To qualify, individuals must have earned at least $2,700 in the last year, about 5.3% of the state’s average annual wage. Leave can be used for medical or family reasons. Medical leave examples (caring for employee): Care of employee for a serious health condition. “Serious health condition” means physical or mental illness, injury, impairment, condition, or substance use disorder. Care of self for a serious condition may involve evaluation, inpatient care, recovery, or not being able to perform regular work. This can include childbirth, conditions related to pregnancy, or surgery. Family leave examples (i.e., caring for others): Bonding care: To care for and bond with a new child through birth, adoption, or foster placement. Caring leave: To care for a family member with a serious health condition. Military family leave: To support a family member called to active duty. Safety leave: To respond to issues such…
Read MoreAll About NDAs (And Why Your Business Needs Them!)
September 12, 2024 | Carole Clark Isakson
This blog focuses on the many times your business will need an NDA—and why printing one from the internet might not accomplish what you need. A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) is a binding document that restricts one party or multiple parties from disclosing certain information that is to be shared. Key points: An NDA can be in favor of only one party or cover all of them. Don’t assume the NDA that is presented to you covers your information unless it specifically says it does. The NDA should state its purpose. If there is a question later about how to interpret the document, knowing why the parties entered into it in the first place will help. The document will include a definition of “Confidential Information” which may need to be revised to reflect your specific data. The NDA will state how the Confidential Information can be used and by whom. Pay attention to this section, and make sure that the other party is responsible if its representatives wrongfully disclose or use your information. A common provision in more current NDA forms will provide for the destruction of the information under certain circumstances. Your attorney will ensure this is correctly drafted to protect your information and address the fact that electronic records may live forever. A well-crafted…
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