On February 15, 2023, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a 2020 California law that attempted to prohibit employers from requiring employees and job applicants to agree to arbitration as a condition of employment. The Court’s 2-1 panel decision in Chamber of Chamber of Commerce of the United States
Archives for February 20, 2023
California’s Tech Layoff Boom: What Employers Need to Know About Federal and State WARN Act Triggers
With the recent proliferation of Big Tech layoffs in California, it may be time for employers doing business in California to revisit the requirements surrounding the federal and state layoff laws. Employers that are covered under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act and/or its California counterpart, the
Minnesota Prohibits Discrimination Based on Hairstyles
Carroll Wright, Kurt Erickson and Susan Fitzke talk about Minnesota’s CROWN Act, which provides explicit protection from any adverse employment action due to an employee’s hair texture or style associated with the person’s race.
SHRM Online
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Los Angeles Adopts Fair Workweek Measures
Eli Z. Freedberg, Andy Klaben-Finegold and Joy C. Rosenquist discuss Los Angeles’ fair workweek legislation, which goes into effect April 1.
SHRM Online
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Biden’s Wage Chief Pick Stalls In Senate Committee
While the DOL awaits a vote on a new Labor Secretary, Michael Lotito says the proposals that the department is putting forward, which they supported, are too radical and are causing pain for a number of independent contractors and freelancers in the US.
Law360
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New Jersey’s Amended Mini-WARN Act FAQs, Part III: Liability Provisions, Penalties, and Preparing for the Effective Date
On January 10, 2023, Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation, which will become effective on April 10, 2023, amending the Millville Dallas Airmotive Plant Job Loss Notification Act—more commonly known as New Jersey’s mini-WARN law, or NJWARN. Part one of this three-part blog series provided an overview of frequently asked questions
Unconscious bias training is ‘nonsense’, says outgoing race relations chair
The outgoing chair of the Institute of Race Relations has decried the widespread use of “nonsense” unconscious bias training, claiming it is an obvious sidestepping of tackling racial injustice.
From ‘quiet hiring’ to ‘rage applying,’ here’s the top workplace buzzwords of 2023 – and what they mean
Attitudes towards work are changing as employees adjust to a post-pandemic normal.
Long Covid Is a Disability. Here’s How to Ask for Workplace Accommodations.
Coming clean on limitations posed by symptoms such as fatigue and brain fog is difficult for many
AI in the Workplace Is Already Here. The First Battleground? Call Centers
They have deployed bots that automate basic tasks and instruct the remaining humans how to do their jobs
Nearly 30 percent of work remains remote as workers dig in
The pandemic may be winding down, but the work-from-home revolution marches on.
Kroger workers who quit are getting texts and emails from the company asking them to come back
Former Kroger employees who left the company have been getting some surprising texts and emails.
A clampdown on in-office work days is causing a rise in ‘hush trips’
More companies are enforcing in-office work policies, which is causing some employees to take working vacations — or “workcations” — on the sly, reports CNBC’s Monica Pitrelli.
Bosses are trying to lure workers back to the office with a free, coveted perk: quiet and privacy
As the largest U.S. design and architecture firm with almost $2 billion in global revenue last year, Gensler hears daily from major corporate clients desperate to figure out what the workspaces of the future should look like to finally get employees back to the office in greater numbers.
Amazon to require office workers to show up in person at least three days a week
Amazon is ordering thousands of its workers back to the office for at least three days per week, according to a company memo by CEO Andy Jassy on Friday.