On August 13, 2021, the Philadelphia Department of Health published a regulation amending its August 11, 2021 order that requires individuals to wear a face mask (with certain exceptions) in indoor settings and at certain...more
New York City recently implemented the Key to NYC Pass, which requires patrons and employees of certain indoor entertainment, recreation, dining, and fitness establishments to prove that they have received at least one dose...more
8/20/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Entertainment Venues ,
Health and Safety ,
Individual Mandate ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Local Ordinance ,
NYCHRL ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Vaccinations ,
Vaccine Passports ,
Workplace Safety
On August 16, 2021, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that all healthcare workers in New York State, including staff at hospitals and long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, adult care facilities and other...more
8/19/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Essential Workers ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Nursing Homes ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city would be implementing the “Key to NYC Pass” requiring that patrons and employees of certain indoor entertainment, recreation, dining and fitness...more
8/18/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Entities ,
Entertainment Venues ,
Health and Safety ,
Individual Mandate ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Local Ordinance ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Resorts & Restaurants ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On August 11, 2021, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and Acting Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole issued an Order effective immediately that requires individuals to wear a face mask (with certain exceptions) in any indoor...more
8/16/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Local Ordinance ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
In its recently amended Technical Assistance Guidance (What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) made clear that an...more
8/11/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On August 3, 2021, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the nation’s first vaccine mandate applying not only to employees, but also patrons of indoor dining facilities, indoor fitness facilities, and indoor...more
8/5/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State and Local Government ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On July 27, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised its COVID-19 guidance, recommending that even individuals who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should resume wearing masks in public...more
It was just last month when the state of California announced the state’s reopening and what many hoped to be the end of pandemic life and various COVID-19-related restrictions. Most significant for many, face masks—which...more
7/20/2021
/ City of Los Angeles ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Local Ordinance ,
Masks ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Workplace Safety
Effective May 19, 2021, New York State has adopted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s May 13 “Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People” for most commercial operations and public...more
5/21/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Social Distancing ,
State and Local Government ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On May 13, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that Americans who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear a face covering or practice physically distancing in any...more
This report summarizes and analyzes data gathered from 1,160 in-house lawyers, C-suite executives and HR professionals. The survey covers the wide-ranging issues facing employers as we look toward a post-pandemic future –...more
With COVID-19 vaccines becoming more accessible throughout the United States, but vaccination opportunities often limited to “business” hours, employers are experiencing an increase in requests for time off from work to...more
4/16/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Incentive Plans ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Regulations ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Sick Leave ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
On December 16, 2020, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued much-anticipated guidance to employers considering COVID-19 vaccination programs for their employees as to their obligations under federal civil...more
12/18/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
GINA ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
After weeks or months of remote work or closed operations, businesses are understandably eager to resume normal operations and bring employees back to the workplace. Employers must be mindful, however, of currently...more
On April 12, 2020, New York State became the latest and largest jurisdiction to impose face-covering requirements in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. ...more
The U.S. response to the COVID-19 outbreak has included rapid and dramatic changes in local, state and federal employment laws. Some New York employers are struggling to understand the new paid leave laws while others are...more
The increased spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States presents employers with significant workplace challenges. The following Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are designed to address some of the...more
As of November 8, 2019, New York State prohibits employment discrimination based on an employee’s or a dependent’s “reproductive health decision making.” The New York State Legislature passed the bill in January 2019, and...more
11/18/2019
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Back Pay ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Governor Cuomo ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Liquidated Damages ,
Reproductive Discrimination ,
State Labor Laws ,
Waivers
As its session draws to a close, the New York State Legislature substantially revised the state’s anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws this week, and Governor Andrew Cuomo has promised to sign the new measures...more
6/21/2019
/ #MeToo ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Culture ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Faragher/Ellerth defense ,
Harassment ,
Hostile Environment ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statute of Limitations
As we have previously reported, New York State and New York City both enacted legislation in 2018 that require New York employers to train their employees in workplace sexual harassment prevention. ...more
4/11/2019
/ #MeToo ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Corporate Culture ,
Employee Rights ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Hostile Environment ,
Local Ordinance ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Risk Management ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
The New York City Commission on Human Rights (NYCCHR) released enforcement guidance on Monday, February 18, 2019, defining discrimination based on natural hair and hairstyles as a subset of race discrimination....more
2/22/2019
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Dress Codes ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hiring & Firing ,
New Guidance ,
NYCHRL ,
Protected Class ,
Race Discrimination ,
Religious Expression ,
Risk Management ,
State and Local Government ,
Title VII
In case you missed it: On December 20, 2018, the New York City (NYC) Council added “sexual and other reproductive health decisions” to the list of protected classes under the NYC Human Rights Law. ...more
On November 17, 2018, Sections 8-102 and 8-107(22) of the New York City Administrative Code were amended to require employers in New York City with four or more employees to (1) provide designated lactation room(s) for...more
As previously reported, this year both the State of New York and the City of New York enacted legislation requiring employers to distribute sexual harassment prevention policies and to train their workforce about the...more
11/15/2018
/ #MeToo ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Corporate Culture ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Harassment ,
Hostile Environment ,
Local Ordinance ,
Nightclubs ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government