It is crucial for associations, board members, and managers to attend comprehensive board training as part of effective risk management, especially during our current climate.
According to Jamie Dokovna, a shareholder in the Florida law firm Becker & Poliakoff who practices employment law and works with associations, one role board members frequently overlook is that of employer.
“Boards don’t always view their associations as employers even though they are if they have cleaning staff, landscapers, desk people, security, and the like,” she says. “Some don’t have employee handbooks, or they have antiquated handbooks or handbooks repackaged from one of the board member’s old companies.”
Dokovna points out that maintaining a small workforce doesn’t necessarily exempt an employer from employment laws. “When you get to 15 employees, more laws apply,” she says. And some federal and state laws — such as those related to the misclassification of an employee as a contractor — can ensnare even smaller employers.
To read the complete Community Association Management Insider article, please click here.
An experienced litigator, Jamie Dokovna focuses her practice on employment law and community association law. She regularly represents employers navigate claims of wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, retaliation; enforce covenants not to compete; and address allegations of housing discrimination. She is well-versed in all aspects of Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Florida Civil Rights Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act. To learn more about Jamie, please click here.