Executive Summary: Employers want to hire the best candidates for their job. However, in utilizing certain hiring standards, employers may be having a “disparate impact” that inadvertently discriminates against certain protected groups. The Connecticut General Assembly is presently considering a law that would allow women to be exempt from the Candidate Physical Ability Test, the standard used by fire departments across the country. The test, which only approximately 15 percent of women pass, requires candidates to complete intense physical tasks while wearing a 50-pound vest. It is designed to simulate the experience of navigating a fire in heavy gear and identify whether a candidate is capable of performing the essential job functions. The General Assembly is considering an alternative test based on “revised physical standards” to allow for “additional female candidates” to qualify for firefighter positions.
Archives for January 25, 2023
Tech Company Wins its First-Ever Motion to Compel Arbitration in New Jersey
A strategic defense that focused on the skilled application of state and federal law surrounding electronic arbitration agreements secured a landmark ruling in a New Jersey court for an international technology company represented by Goldberg Segalla.
Women Get “Nicer” Feedback — and It Holds Them Back
Research found that a fictional “Sarah” got much kinder feedback than “Andrew,” even when their performance was identical.
How to Work with Your Unionizing Employees
Approaches that will lead to better outcomes for both workers and employers.
How to comply with New York’s updated workplace lactation accommodation law
The state’s new requirements are slightly more employee-friendly, but may not require too many adjustments by employers.
Creating Workplaces That Invite And Retain Women In 2023
Over the last few years, women across industries have continued to suffer in the face of challenges brought on by the pandemic and an increasingly competitive labor market.
How Women Are Valued In The Workplace: Why What You Say Matters
Do workplaces today still undervalue women? My answer is a resounding yes.
Half of U.S. mass attacks sparked by personal, workplace disputes – report
Half of the mass attacks in the United States from 2016-2020 were sparked by personal, domestic or workplace disputes, according to a new U.S. Secret Service report that aims to prevent violence by identifying warning signs.
America, we have a problem. People aren’t feeling engaged with their work
When Tanvi Sinha first got into accounting 17 years ago, she worked from the office every day, even Saturdays in the busy season.
Laid Off in Your Living Room: The Chaos of Remote Job Cuts
Angst rippled across laptop screens this month, with dozens of companies announcing layoffs and finding ways to breed extra chaos in the process.
Google workers demand ‘psychological safety’ from bosses after mass layoffs
Google employees who survived the company’s recent purge of 12,000 of their now-former colleagues grilled executives during a tense all-hands meeting on Monday — anxiously demanding assurances that their jobs aren’t next on the chopping block.
Top 10 novels about office jobs
The places where half of waking life unfolds for many people aren’t famous settings for drama, but writers from Muriel Spark to Dave Eggers show why they should be
Walmart’s new minimum wage hike points to enduring retail labor crunch
Walmart raised its minimum hourly wage for in-store workers to $14, up from $12
What are the key areas our organization should keep top of mind when considering AI and ADA in our workplace?
White House Re-Nominates Acting DOL Wage & Hour Administrator to Lead Division
On January 23, 2023, President Biden re-nominated Jessica Looman to formally become the next Director of the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the Department of Labor (DOL). Ms. Looman originally was nominated for the position in August 2022 and made it out of the Senate Committee on Health, Education,