News

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Groff v. DeJoy, employees and their lawyers have been testing the limits on how far employers must go to accommodate religious beliefs and practices.

While the EEOC may not want to move ahead with cases it already filed on behalf of transgender employees, that does not mean employers are free to discriminate based on gender identity. There are still multiple avenues that employees can use to sue over the issue.

The five elements every disciplinary document should include.

A recent Florida state court decision makes it clear that in that state, workers can’t be fired for the off-duty use of medical marijuana if the usage is related to a disability and the employee isn’t impaired when working.

For an hourly worker, more frequent milk-expression breaks can be unpaid if she’s completely relieved of work duties during pumping time. But what about making scheduling changes that may cut pay? According to a newly filed lawsuit, that’s not an appropriate approach.

The clock starts ticking when an employee files a complaint. Human resources professionals have a short window to build trust with the complaining employee and demonstrate that their concerns are being taken seriously. Keep these three tips in mind when facing a workplace investigation.

Take solace in the fact that unless workplace animosity creates a truly hostile environment, allegations of discrimination or harassment won’t succeed in court unless an employee can prove that a co-worker targeted him because of protected characteristics such as race, gender, religion or national origin.

What is the EEOC interested in now?

Accommodations under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act can look very familiar at first glance. The PWFA requires the same interactive process as the Americans with Disabilities Act and religious accommodation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The PWFA allows employers to reject specific accommodations if they can demonstrate an undue hardship. The similarity ends there.

We have a comp-time policy, but we’re encountering some pushback from employees. They believe that any time worked over eight hours qualifies for comp time. How should we determine the threshold for comp-time eligibility?