Howe, Karen Allison

Sharon is of counsel in the firm's Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Group. She advises private and public sector employers on a broad range of issues, including the hiring and termination of employees, reductions in force, employment discrimination, and collective bargaining. She counsels management on Massachusetts and federal employment laws, including the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and Massachusetts wage and hour laws. Sharon frequently drafts, reviews and revises employee handbooks, personnel policies, severance and employment agreements, and non-compete agreements. In addition, she regularly advises school committees on issues of school law.

Representative Matters

• Conducted workplace investigations involving allegations of employee misconduct and harassment
• Served as lead spokesperson in collective bargaining negotiations on behalf of public-sector clients
• Represented public-sector clients in administrative hearings before the Division of Labor Relations
• Represented public-sector clients in employee termination hearings
• Represented public- and private-sector clients in protracted negotiations involving acrimonious employee separations

Publications/Presentations

Sharon has given presentations on the Fair Labor Standards Act, employer record keeping and retention, the contingent workforce, conducting investigations in the workplace, vicarious employer liability for unlawful harassment by supervisors, employee handbooks, the hiring and firing process, privacy in the workplace, discipline of teachers and other school personnel, and student discipline.

She has published a number of articles for the newsletter of the Human Resources Management Association for Central Massachusetts, including the following:

• "U.S. Department of Labor Reminds Employers: Military Service Counts toward FMLA Eligibility"
• "Employer Obligations With Respect to Military Leave"
• "Non-Union Employees' Rights at Investigatory Interviews"
• "Investigating Complaints of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace"
• "Recent Amendments to the Massachusetts Wage Enforcement Laws"
• "The New EEO-1 Reporting Requirements and Their Impact on Data Collection by Employers"
• "Same-Sex Marriage and What It Means for Employers in Massachusetts"
• "Burden of Proof Shifts to Employers in Age Discrimination Cases"