Election Day is almost upon us, Gentle Reader. Behave!
Dear Miss Mannerly: My employees have strong political views, and since the Presidential debate the other night, they are out of control. They are split about evenly...more
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
Sober up, folks! Here we go. With the legalization of marijuana and cannabis products in so many states, dealing with substance abuse in the workplace has become ridiculously complicated.
This is the first of a two-part...more
8/30/2024
/ Alcohol Testing ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Drug Testing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Illegal Drugs ,
Medical Examinations ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Substance Abuse ,
Wage and Hour
Warning -- I'm about to go on a rant. Do you ever read something in the news that just makes you go, "Sheesh, people!!!" Or words to that effect? And, no, I am not talking about the Presidential Election.
The Wall Street...more
If you follow these, you should be in great shape. Reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act continues to flummox many employers. But it shouldn’t be that hard, at least not in most cases. Here are...more
8/16/2024
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Documentation ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Wage and Hour
Learn from a real employer's mistakes. Imagine this scenario: You are advertising for an open position. You get three applicants:
•Applicant 1 meets or exceeds all of your requirements.
•Applicant 2 fails to meet your...more
This lawsuit seems destined to lose. Even in California. Have I said “You can’t make this stuff up” in the last six weeks or so? No? Cool. You can’t make this stuff up. In case you needed a cautionary tale about workplace...more
It's not over. I previously reported that a number of states have challenged the new Enforcement Guidance on workplace harassment issued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, based on the position that the...more
Asking about family history is usually illegal. Oh. My. Gosh.
United Airlines required post-offer medical examinations for its new hires. Nothing wrong with that -- it's specifically allowed under the Americans with...more
Employer's DEI mandate scores a win. A white guy refused to take his employer's mandatory "unconscious bias" training, and he was fired. He sued the employer for retaliation, his lawsuit was dismissed, and this week an...more
7/12/2024
/ Bias ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Discrimination ,
Diversity ,
Employee Training ,
Insubordination Policy ,
Race Discrimination ,
Retaliation ,
SCOTUS ,
Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College ,
Termination ,
Title VI ,
Title VII ,
Wage and Hour
Want to stay out of trouble? Read on! Did you know that this Sunday will be "Social Media Day"? Neither did I. But even after all this time, social media continues to get employees and employers in trouble. Here are six...more
The legal challenges relate to "abortion accommodation." Not long ago, I blogged about two legal challenges to the regulations interpreting the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. In one case, 14 state attorneys general filed...more
Employers, take warning! A federal judge in Illinois refused this week to dismiss a class action lawsuit brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act based on a "voluntary" wellness program.
Employers should review...more
Employers who (allegedly) didn't file are being sued. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced on Wednesday that it has filed suit against 15 employers in 11 states and in a variety of industries for failing to...more
Pregnancy regs, harassment guidance under fire. Not long ago, I reported that a number of state attorneys general had filed suit seeking to block the final regulations interpreting the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Their...more
A handy guide on what not to do. A federal judge in Florida has ruled that a former Human Resources manager for a law firm will get a jury trial on her claims related to her termination right before she was due to return...more
A lot has changed since Mother's Day 2023. Happy Mother's Day weekend, all, including you dads and kids (we couldn't have done it without you)!
How much do you know about pregnancy in the workplace in 2023? Take our quiz...more
5/10/2024
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Documentation ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Healthcare ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
Pregnancy ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act ,
Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (“PUMP Act”) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Title VII
Last fall, I reported on a proposed Enforcement Guidance issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on workplace harassment. I gave the proposed guidance a good review overall, although I had some disagreements...more
*And are sorry you asked. Last Friday, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission published its final regulations on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The regulations will take effect on June 18, just under a year since...more
4/26/2024
/ Abortion ,
Adverse Employment Action ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Pregnancy ,
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act ,
Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (“PUMP Act”) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Title VII ,
Undue Hardship
Just a little harm will do. On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Title VII does not require a plaintiff to show that a discriminatory transfer to another position caused her to suffer “significant” or...more
4/19/2024
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Employee Transfers ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Lateral Transfers ,
Muldrow v City of St Louis ,
SCOTUS ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Title VII
What's good for the goose . . . A person who is discriminated against for not being transgender can have a valid claim under Title VII for “sex” (really, gender identity) discrimination.
In McCreary v. Adult World, Inc., a...more
What's legal, and what's not? Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in employment are increasingly being challenged in the courts. How much do you know about the legalities? Take our quiz and find out! This is a hard...more
At least one judge thinks so. A federal judge in Lubbock, Texas, has permanently enjoined the federal government from enforcing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act against the State of Texas and its agencies and divisions....more
3/1/2024
/ Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Permanent Injunctions ,
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act ,
Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (“PUMP Act”) ,
Quorum ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
Standing ,
Texas
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will begin accepting employers’ 2023 Component 1 EEO-1 data starting Tuesday, April 30. The last day to file the data is June 4.
The EEOC anticipates that its Component 1...more
The unconditional offer of reinstatement. Are you perfect? So am I. But I’ve been told that there are people in the world who sometimes make mistakes.
Sometimes employers do things that they think they have a perfect right...more