Massachusetts HR guidance for practitioners.
Pick a topic below to see the federal rule, the MA statute, and the practitioner steps Ask HR AI walks you through in a session.
Massachusetts at a glance
- Report lookback: 5 years misdemeanor / 10 years felony (M.G.L. c. 6 §172). Massachusetts caps misdemeanor reporting at five years and felony reporting at ten years from disposition or release.
- Ban-the-box: Statewide (CORI reform; M.G.L. c. 151B §4). Employers may not ask about criminal history on the initial application and may not consider arrests not leading to conviction or first-conviction misdemeanors for several enumerated offenses.
- Salary history: Banned (M.G.L. c. 149 §105A). Employers may not seek wage-history information. Effective 2025, employers with 25+ workers must disclose pay range in postings.
- Cannabis: Recreational legal; medical accommodation required. Barbuto v. Advantage Sales (2017) recognized a reasonable-accommodation duty for medical-cannabis patients absent undue hardship.
Massachusetts topics
FCRA adverse action in Massachusetts
The two-step FCRA adverse action process: pre-adverse notice with a copy of the report and Summary of Rights, a reasonable waiting period, and the final adverse action notice.
Read the MA guideBan-the-Box and Fair Chance hiring in Massachusetts
When employers may ask about criminal history, individualized assessment requirements, and the state and city ordinances that add rules on top of federal EEOC guidance.
Read the MA guideWage and hour in Massachusetts
FLSA exempt vs non-exempt classification, overtime rules, meal and rest breaks, off-the-clock work, and state daily-overtime rules that overlay the federal floor.
Read the MA guideLeaves and accommodations in Massachusetts
Coordinating FMLA, ADA reasonable accommodation, workers' comp, pregnancy accommodation, and state paid family and medical leave programs.
Read the MA guideDrug testing and marijuana in Massachusetts
Pre-employment, reasonable-suspicion, and post-accident drug testing across states with off-duty cannabis protections and safety-sensitive carve-outs.
Read the MA guidePay transparency and pay equity in Massachusetts
State and city pay range disclosure laws, pay equity analyses, and how to respond to an applicant's compensation question.
Read the MA guideHarassment prevention and training in Massachusetts
Mandatory sexual harassment training in CA, NY, IL, CT, DE, ME, WA — plus prevention policies, complaint channels, and Faragher/Ellerth defenses.
Read the MA guideBackground check basics for HR in Massachusetts
What a compliant employment background check includes, FCRA disclosure and authorization, and how to interpret common report components.
Read the MA guideRelated SafestHires resources for Massachusetts
- Massachusetts background-check rules — the underlying state-screening reference.
- Massachusetts FACIS healthcare screening — Medicaid exclusion and licensing boards.
- All states — jump to another state.