As workplaces in North Carolina and South Carolina are opening back up, employers should make sure they are up to date on their rights and obligations to test or otherwise screen their employees for COVID-19 under the federal anti-discrimination laws governing the workplace.
Archives for October 28, 2020
Addressing and Preventing Inappropriate ‘Shop Talk’
In a manufacturing environment, employees often work near each other, and the level of noise can cause conversations to go unheard by others not in the immediate vicinity. Like the quintessential example of “locker room talk,” “shop talk” in a manufacturing environment can walk a fine line between employee banter and inappropriate, or, in extreme cases, even illegal, conduct.
New Michigan COVID-19 Law Restricts Employment Actions
Michigan has enacted significant new legislation that prohibits employees with “the principal symptoms” of COVID-19 from reporting to work and forbids employers from discharging, disciplining, or retaliating against employees who stay home because they have been diagnosed with or exposed to COVID-19.
Leonora Schloss Discusses CFRA Leave
Leonora Schloss discusses the administrative and leave implications of the California Family Rights Act in “California Employers Must Prepare for CFRA Leave Expansion,” published by SHRM.
Successful Remote Teams Communicate in Bursts
It frees up more time for deep work.
Employers Should Reward Workers for Accomplishments, Not Hours Worked
Paying employees based on hours worked is a time-honored tradition in many professions, such as law. But with the COVID-19 pandemic causing many workplace norms to be revisited, new research from The University of Texas at Austin suggests that compensating employees based on their accomplishments rather than on hours worked produces better results.
Can Employers Require Employees to Get a Vaccine, Once Approved?
As employers struggle to make decisions on how best to keep their employees, patients and customers safe during the continuing pandemic, a question employers may be pondering now is, once a coronavirus vaccine is approved for safe distribution to the U.S. population, can or should the company mandate that all employees receive the vaccine?
Top Goldman Lawyers Accused of Covering Up Sexual Harassment
Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s general counsel and head of litigation were sued by a subordinate who said she was forced out after she spoke up about the sexual harassment of another female lawyer in the group.
Avoiding Workplace Discrimination Against Employees With Natural Hairstyles
Seven states now have laws against workplace discrimination based on employees’ natural hairstyles and a federal bill awaits action in the Senate.
What Counts as Race Discrimination? A Suit Against JPMorgan Is a Test
A former employee accuses JPMorgan Chase of failing to stop what she said was racially driven bullying. The bank says race had nothing to do with it.
Texas social workers will no longer be allowed to discriminate against LGBTQ Texans and people with disabilities
The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council voted unanimously to restore protections for social workers’ LGBTQ and disabled clients after backlash from advocates and lawmakers.
‘My Boss Is Awful. Is It Worth Going to HR?’
Dear Boss,
I’ve always been told by colleagues at various employers that if you have difficulties with your supervisor, you shouldn’t bother going to HR. People have told me that it’s HR’s job to protect the organization and your manager, even if he or she is a bully or violating policies and laws.
The ‘Mominee’: Supreme Expectations and Gender Bias in Amy Coney Barrett’s Confirmation
Marveling over motherhood was a theme, not a footnote of Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing.
Update: U.S. Border Restrictions Extended due to COVID-19
Announced via Tweet by Chad Wolf, Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, the COVID-related restrictions at the Canadian and Mexican borders have been extended yet again until November 21, 2020. These restrictions apply to land and sea entries and prevent entry for non-essential purposes. Although there continues to
Time to Review Employee Wages and Salaries for 2021
The California 2020 legislative session has closed, and employers should be preparing for 2021 by updating policies and procedures. Employers should ensure that the minimum wage for non-exempt employees’ wages will be appropriately increased for 2021. Since 2017, California has been working its way up to an eventual $15 minimum
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