Easy? Ha! Last week, I posted about “fun” facts related to drugs and alcohol in the workplace. That post was an prelude to what I’ll talk about today: What employers ought to do. As I pointed out last week, marijuana is...more
9/6/2024
/ Alcohol Testing ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Controlled Substances ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Drug Testing ,
Illegal Drugs ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Here's how an HR pro would have handled it.
There I was, a hard-boiled, cynical, grizzled, war-torn Human Resources professional, working late, as is my wont.
Suddenly, my phone rang. Odd to be getting a call at the office...more
I won't be as giddy as I was yesterday.
As almost everyone knows, the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday reinstated a stay on the "vax-or-test" mandate issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. As a result,...more
1/14/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Lack of Authority ,
National Federation of Independent Business v Department of Labor and OSHA ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
While we wait.
I was really hoping that by yesterday the Supreme Court would have stayed the Emergency Temporary Standard that was issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Maybe today?...more
1/11/2022
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Mandates ,
Masks ,
Oral Argument ,
OSHA ,
Popular ,
SCOTUS ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Wild times.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has posted this on its COVID-19 and Vaccine Emergency Temporary Standard web page (emphasis is mine):...more
Don't rely on it too much -- yet.
We recently got our first federal court decision addressing whether an employer had the right to require employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19. The court's answer was yes...
...more
7/2/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) ,
Employer Mandates ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Food and Drug Act ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Popular ,
Pregnancy ,
Religious Exemption ,
Suspensions ,
Termination ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Can employers breathe easy now?
Last Saturday, I went to the supermarket and did my weekly grocery shopping without a mask.
It was glorious! And completely legal!
But employers may not be as elated as I am, now that...more
5/21/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Documentation ,
Employer Mandates ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Incentives ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Pregnancy ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Exemption ,
Remote Working ,
Social Distancing ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Before the coming crackdown.
We expect federal agencies under the Biden Administration to move in a not-so-employer-friendly direction as soon as they have a chance to get settled in. While they're still settling in, this...more
4/16/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Biden Administration ,
Caregivers ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Independent Contractors ,
Minimum Wage ,
Misclassification ,
NLRA ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
OSHA ,
Performance Reviews ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Protected Concerted Activity ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Videoconference ,
Workplace Safety
Good news!
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a letter yesterday to a number of employer groups that it will be issuing guidance on employer incentives to encourage employees to get their COVID...more
Vaccines, unemployment, and more!
I had a COVID return-to-work quiz back in May, but a lot has changed since then, so I thought it might be fun to do an updated version. So . . .
How much do you know about COVID in the...more
2/26/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Biden Administration ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Documentation ,
Employer Mandates ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Incentives ,
Layoffs ,
Masks ,
Quarantine ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Exemption ,
Social Distancing ,
Trump Administration ,
Unemployment ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Just because you can, should you?
As most of our readers know, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in December that employers can legally require employees to get COVID vaccinations, provided that they take a...more
Don't worry - the rest of this post is in English.
Employees at a French factory are reportedly up in armes because their employer plans to require them to wear "social distancing" alarms while on the job...more
It's official! (Well, close enough.)
This evening, the Electoral College confirmed Joseph R. Biden as winner of the 2020 Presidential election. Congress will not do an official count of the electoral votes until January 6,...more
12/15/2020
/ Discrimination ,
Electoral College ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Equal Pay ,
Harassment ,
Joe Biden ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
My best guess is yes.
Two new COVID-19 vaccines are hurtling toward approval by the Food and Drug Administration and release to the public.
As a result, employers are asking whether they can require their employees to get...more
11/20/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Remote Working ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
The EEOC updated its guidance this week.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission this week updated its Q&A guidance on coronavirus and the federal anti-discrimination laws -- primarily, the Americans with Disabilities...more
9/11/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Personal Data ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Remote Working ,
Screening Procedures ,
Workplace Safety
Right before the July 4 holiday, Gov. Roy Cooper (D) signed into law legislation that will limit North Carolina businesses’ liability for claims related to COVID-19.
The legislation adds an Article 8 to Chapter 99E of the...more
An ambiguity in the agency's prior guidance has been clarified.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission updated its guidance on COVID-19 issues yesterday and clarified that employers may not test employees for COVID-19...more
The Justice Department is prosecuting a case of alleged phony corony.
Employees, if you need to make up a story to get out of working, you might want to try something other than a fake case of COVID-19...more
The EEOC clarifies its position on COVID-vulnerable employees.
Yesterday, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reissued guidance on employers' responsibilities with respect to employees who have medical conditions...more
We're back in business, baby! (Sorta.)
Life in general may be returning to normal after our two-month exile, and many employers are starting to bring their employees back to work. Are you ready? How much do you really know...more
Breaking news.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission updated its guidance on COVID-19 yesterday to say that employers could test employees for the virus before allowing them into the workplace, and that the testing...more
With Hurricane Florence bearing down on the coasts of the Carolinas, the North Carolina Department of Labor has posted on its website that private sector employers in North Carolina can legally insist that their workers...more
Afraid that your dress code will cause your employees to up and quit? Gentle Reader, you've come to the right place.
Dear Miss Mannerly:-
I am an HR Manager for a major metropolitan employer....more
British Columbia has recently amended its health and safety law to prohibit employers from requiring employees to wear high heels to work.
Maybe this isn’t too big a deal in an office environment, but there are some...more
A number of employers and employer groups — including the National Association of Manufacturers and Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. — filed suit last week in a federal court in Texas seeking to block parts of the...more