Severance decisions sit at the intersection of legal risk, employee relations, and business judgment. For employers, the challenge is not simply deciding whether to offer severance, but determining how much to offer, under...more
2/19/2026
/ At-Will Employment ,
Best Practices ,
Contract Terms ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Layoffs ,
Offer Letters ,
Risk Management ,
Separation Agreement ,
Severance Agreements ,
Severance Pay ,
Termination
One of the most common questions labor and employment attorneys hear from employers in the post-remote workplace is whether employees can be expected to answer emails outside standard business hours....more
2/4/2026
/ Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Flexible Work Arrangements ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Remote Working ,
Right to Disconnect ,
Risk Management ,
Unpaid Overtime ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules ,
Work-Induced Stress ,
Workplace Communication
With Lunar New Year falling on February 17 this year, employers have an opportunity to pause and think more broadly about how religious and cultural holidays are recognized in the workplace....more
1/26/2026
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Corporate Culture ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Duty to Accommodate ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Engagement ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Holidays ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Title VII
This blog provides an update on the ongoing litigation involving Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. If the original blog explored how this case began, this chapter is about what it has become....more
1/19/2026
/ Burden of Proof ,
Celebrities ,
Corporate Culture ,
Discovery ,
Discovery Disputes ,
Employment Litigation ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Evidence ,
Evidentiary Standards ,
Harassment ,
Hostile Environment ,
Internal Communications ,
Jury Trial ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Movies ,
Popular ,
Reputational Injury ,
Retaliation
The weeks following the holidays often bring a familiar feeling: full inboxes, overlapping priorities, and a sudden return to urgency after a brief pause. During the holiday season, many teams naturally loosen expectations...more
1/7/2026
/ Best Practices ,
Communication Restrictions ,
Corporate Culture ,
Employee Engagement ,
Employment Policies ,
Flexible Work Arrangements ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Internal Communications ,
Managers ,
Mental Health ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Remote Working ,
Time-Management ,
Work Life Balance ,
Work Schedules ,
Workplace Communication
The annual holiday party is meant to lift spirits, reward employees, and create a sense of connection as the year draws to a close. It is often one of the few opportunities for your team to relax together outside the...more
12/18/2025
/ Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Best Practices ,
Corporate Culture ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Harassment ,
Holiday Parties ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Internal Investigations ,
Risk Management ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Workplace Harassment Guidance ,
Workplace Investigations ,
Workplace Safety
For years, employee handbooks were treated as routine onboarding documents, i.e., something handed out on a new hire’s first day and rarely revisited unless a legal issue arose....more
12/4/2025
/ Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Flexible Work Arrangements ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Remote Working ,
Risk Management ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is officially back to full operations, now that the government shutdown has ended....more
11/20/2025
/ Employee Training ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Government Shutdown ,
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) ,
New Regulations ,
OSHA ,
OSHRC ,
Proposed Rules ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Workplace Safety
In a decision that underscores the importance of substance over form in employment relationships, the Eleventh Circuit recently reaffirmed that contractual labels alone do not determine whether a worker is an employee or an...more
On October 7, 2025, the United States Senate confirmed President Trump’s nomination of Brittany Panuccio as the third commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Her confirmation restores the...more
10/16/2025
/ Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Gender Identity ,
LGBTQ ,
New Regulations ,
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act ,
Quorum ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Title VII
On September 10, 2025, the New York City Council voted to override Mayor Eric Adams’ vetoes and enacted legislation extending workplace protections and minimum pay standards to grocery delivery workers. With this development,...more
9/30/2025
/ Delivery Drivers ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Gig Economy ,
Grocery Stores ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Regulations ,
Local Ordinance ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour
On September 17, 2025, OSHA extended the deadline for submitting post-hearing comments on its proposed Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings rule. Chief Administrative Law Judge Steven Henley...more
The Federal Trade Commission has officially withdrawn its appeal in Ryan, LLC v. FTC, putting an end to its controversial attempt to ban noncompete agreements through agency rulemaking. That effort may be over, but the...more
9/19/2025
/ Anticompetitive Agreements ,
Employment Contract ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Healthcare ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Request For Information ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Rulemaking Process
The legal framework surrounding religious accommodations in the workplace has evolved significantly, driven by recent court decisions, EEOC enforcement actions, and federal guidance. Employers must gain a clear understanding...more
8/26/2025
/ Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Reserve ,
Interactive Process ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations
On July 30, 2025, the Department of Justice released a memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi offering guidance to federal agencies and recipients of federal funding regarding practices that the administration views as...more
Pride Month 2025, commemorating the 1969 Stonewall Riots, celebrates the LGBTQ+ community’s contributions, but inclusivity must extend beyond June to foster workplaces where everyone feels valued. Navigating the complex legal...more
On July 4, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed H.R.1—the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—into law following its narrow passage in the House of Representatives just days earlier. Touted as the Trump administration’s marquee...more
7/11/2025
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Income Taxes ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
One Big Beautiful Bill Act ,
Over-Time ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Planning ,
Tax Reform ,
Taxation ,
Tipped Employees ,
Wage and Hour
Update: OSHA Extends Post-Hearing Comment Deadline -
On September 17, 2025, OSHA extended the deadline for submitting post-hearing comments on its proposed Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work...more
6/20/2025
/ California ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Heat Exposure ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
New Regulations ,
OSHA ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Workplace Safety
When employers think about workplace safety, the conversation often begins and ends with OSHA inspections or slip-and-fall prevention. But in today’s world, the most urgent threat to your workforce isn’t on the floor. It’s in...more
For HR leaders and business owners alike, the question is not whether employees will request time off for major life events, but when and how your organization will respond. Weddings, honeymoons, and personal milestones do...more
Performance conversations can quickly become legal minefields when an employee is pregnant, has a disability, or has requested protected leave. Too often, well-meaning employers delay intervention, mishandle documentation, or...more
5/1/2025
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Popular ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act ,
Reasonable Accommodation
In the ever-evolving landscape of workplace discrimination laws, savvy employers are reexamining longstanding policies—including those that may not seem controversial at first glance. One of the most commonly overlooked (yet...more
The private sector's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) landscape is undergoing significant transformation in response to evolving federal policies and legal challenges. Two executive orders from President Donald Trump in...more
Changing an employee's job description during business restructuring can be tricky, especially when balancing business needs with legal requirements. Can human resource managers change an employee’s job description to align...more
Dear Sarah, Two of my employees have started dating, and I’m worried it might affect their work or lead to complaints from others. Should we have a formal policy on workplace relationships? Are we even allowed to have such a...more
2/17/2025
/ Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Retaliation ,
Risk Management ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Workplace Romances ,
Workplace Violence