Employee Communications: Alaska
Federal law and guidance on this subject should be reviewed together with this section.
Author: Gloria Ju
Summary
- Alaska employers must post certain notices in their workplaces. See Posting Requirements.
- Alaska is an employment at-will state, but it recognizes a number of statutory and contract exceptions to the at-will doctrine. See Communicating Employer Expectations and Work Rules; Employment At-Will.
- Texting while driving is illegal in Alaska. See Communicating Employer Expectations and Work Rules; Use of Mobile Devices.
- Alaska is a one-party consent state in terms of intercepting and divulging a private conversation or using an eavesdropping device. See Communicating Employer Expectations and Work Rules; Communications Privacy.
- Employers may voluntarily establish a drug and alcohol testing program. However, employers may only carry out such testing after adopting and distributing a written policy that contains, at a minimum, 10 provisions specified by law. See Communicating Employer Expectations and Work Rules; Drug Testing Policy.
- Employers must conduct a safety education program for an employee before the employee performs a new work assignment that may result in the employee being exposed to a toxic or hazardous substance or a physical agent. See Communicating Employer Expectations and Work Rules; Toxic or Hazardous Substances.
- The Alaska Human Rights Law prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of certain protected characteristics. Employers should guard against discriminatory or harassing communications in the workplace. See Discriminatory Comments.
- Employers can be held liable for defamation even if a statement is not defamatory on its face. See Communicating Sensitive Information; Defamation.
- The state's reference immunity law protects employers that provide references in good faith. See Communicating Sensitive Information; Reference Checks.
- Employers must take steps to notify employees of a breach of personal information and to protect employees' Social Security numbers. See Communicating Sensitive Information; Notification of Breach of Personal Information; Protection of Social Security Numbers.
- Alaska courts will alter an overbroad covenant not to compete if it is reasonable to do so and if the covenant was drafted in good faith. See Restrictions on Employee Communications; Noncompete Agreements.
- Alaska has adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act. See Trade Secrets.
- State employees have a right to express political opinions. See Political Activities.
- Alaska employees enjoy certain whistleblowing and retaliation protections. See Whistleblowing and Retaliation Protections.
- Employers in Alaska are prohibited from deceiving an individual into working for them by means of false or deceptive representations, false advertising or false pretenses. See False Representations.