In this special year-end episode, recorded live from our 42nd Annual Workforce Management Briefing in New York City, Epstein Becker Green attorneys discuss the biggest employment law trends and crucial workforce changes in...more
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, employers found themselves in uncharted territory – a new virus, public health emergency declarations, and legislation. Against this onslaught of emerging circumstances, the Equal...more
This week, we're mapping out how Local Law 144 applies to every employer with employees in New York City using artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, or a similar computational process to screen candidates for...more
On August 23, 2021, the District of Columbia (“D.C.”) Council enacted the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2021 (D.C. Act 24-159), an omnibus bill that, at Title IV, Subtitle G, includes the “Universal Paid...more
As we wrote in our last Marijuana Legalization Rundown, state legislatures across the country have been busy enacting cannabis legalization laws this year. Along with those laws has come a number of recent court decisions...more
The Future of Work Series will address many of the issues attendant to returning to the workplace. Panelists will explore:
- the implications of mandatory versus voluntary vaccination programs;
- compliance with...more
On May 28, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) announced the release of updated guidance regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, providing welcome clarity around a number of vaccine-related issues for...more
It’s #WorkforceWednesday! This week, we discuss how employers are navigating COVID-19 vaccination policies and new worker organization and whistleblowing risks.
Legal Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccination Policies (see...more
5/5/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disparate Treatment ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Vaccinations ,
Vaccine Passports ,
Workplace Safety
On February 22, 2021, Governor Murphy signed three separate cannabis reform bills into law that formally legalize the use and possession of recreational marijuana in the Garden state: (1) the “New Jersey Cannabis Regularly,...more
It's our first #WorkforceWednesday of 2021! The past year tested our resilience, and COVID-19 forced everyone to think creatively and adapt quickly. Nowhere was that seen more clearly than in the workplace.
Workplace Safety...more
1/6/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Business Closures ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cybersecurity ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Furloughs ,
Health and Safety ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Labor Regulations ,
NLRB ,
Paid Leave ,
Personal Information ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Remote Working ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Sick Leave ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
It’s #WorkforceWednesday! This week, the next big challenge for employers—vaccine policy readiness. We also look at how the U.S. Supreme Court might rule on two employee benefits-related issues.
It’s Time to Ready Your...more
11/25/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Interactive Process ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Failing a drug test may not kill the buzz for medical marijuana patients in the Empire State. In contrast to courts in California and other jurisdictions, a New York state court has held that medical marijuana users are...more
5/14/2020
/ Disability Discrimination ,
Drug Testing ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
NYCHRL ,
Protected Class ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Zero Tolerance Policies
On April 11, 2020, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed nearly two dozen bills into law, many of which will have a significant impact on employers, employees, and the broader Virginia workforce. The Virginia Values Act...more
First of Many Anticipated Employment Changes in Virginia, Including Expanded Coverage and Remedies for the Virginia Human Right Act and Minimum Wage Increases....more
3/11/2020
/ Dress Codes ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Gender Identity ,
Gig Economy ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Minimum Wage ,
Misclassification ,
New Legislation ,
Race Discrimination ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Delaware is reminding its employers that a safe, drug-free workplace can pay. On February 1, the state’s Department of Insurance (the “Department”) amended its regulations to emphasize the availability of workers’...more
2/28/2020
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Credit ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Drug Testing ,
Employment Policies ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Regulations ,
Recreational Use ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety ,
Zero Tolerance Policies
We have written extensively on mandatory vaccination policies and employers’ obligations to accommodate requests for exemption based on religious or disability grounds. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a recent...more
By February 1, 2020, District of Columbia (“DC”) employers must start providing employees with notice of the DC Paid Family Leave (“DC PFL”) law, D.C. Code § 32-541.01, et seq. The DC PFL Notice to Employees (“PFL Notice”)...more
1/17/2020
/ Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Final Rules ,
Medical Leave ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Wage and Hour
With 2019 nearly rolled up, it is time to exhale and recap the latest dose of marijuana laws affecting the workplace. In the last twelve months, Illinois became the eleventh state to legalize recreational marijuana use by...more
12/24/2019
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Recreational Use ,
State and Local Government
On July 2, 2019, New Jersey joined Illinois, Nevada, New Mexico, New York City, and Oklahoma in enacting employment protections for authorized users of medical cannabis. New Jersey’s new medical cannabis law (“Law”), which...more
7/11/2019
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Amended Legislation ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Governor Murphy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State Labor Laws
The District of Columbia Office of Paid Family Leave (“OPFL”) recently launched a website to help employers and employees prepare for the new Paid Family Leave (“PFL”) benefit. On July 1, 2019, the OPFL will begin collecting...more
On April 9, 2019, a proposed bill, Int. 1445-A (“Bill”), which prohibits employers from pre-employment drug testing for marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinols (“THC,” the active ingredient in marijuana), was passed by the New...more
4/17/2019
/ Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Drug Testing ,
Drug-Free Workplace Act ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Contractors ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Marijuana ,
Mayor de Blasio ,
OSHA
In a decision that could have sweeping effects on New Jersey employers with drug-free workplace and drug-testing policies, the New Jersey Appellate Division in Wild v. Carriage Funeral Holdings ruled that the New Jersey Law...more
Recent headlines have highlighted changes occurring in the workforce. Generation Z will be entering the workforce in the new year, marking five generations working side by side. Therefore, as 2019 approaches, it will be...more
12/28/2018
/ #MeToo ,
Bias ,
Corporate Culture ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Gender Identity ,
Hostile Environment ,
NYCHRL ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws
Addressing Workplace Sexual Harassment in the Wake of #MeToo -
Revelations of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, and those that have followed, have ignited sexual harassment complaints against employers across all industries....more
12/27/2017
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Equal Pay ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Harassment ,
Minimum Salary ,
Paid Leave ,
Popular ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions