Legal Issues

Heed EEOC’s latest anti-harassment guidance

May 22, 2023
A new EEOC report on preventing and addressing workplace harassment of government employees offers important lessons for private-sector employers, too. The report urges all employers to take a multi-pronged approach to creating an anti-harassment culture in their workplaces.

Refusal to sign discipline memo? What to do

May 12, 2023
Every HR professional knows the importance of disciplinary documentation. But what happens if an employee refuses to sign a disciplinary memo?

EEOC, other agencies monitoring AI’s impact on perpetuating discrimination

May 1, 2023
The EEOC has joined forces with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to step up oversight of how artificial intelligence software might perpetuate unlawful discrimination.

Remote termination: Consider these 3 factors

April 17, 2023
Now that many employees telework at least some of the time, terminations have gotten more complicated. Do you wait to deliver the bad news when employees come into work? Do you order all affected employees into the office for a mass firing? If you’re considering remote terminations even for employees who sometimes work onsite, here are some factors you should consider.

Warn supervisors against screening applicants by national origin

April 17, 2023
This seems obvious, but apparently it needs restating: Managers and supervisors should never consider where an applicant was born when making hiring decisions. Two recent cases illustrate the peril.

Check for possible retaliation before approving discipline

April 17, 2023
Before approving a termination, always review the case details. Be on the lookout for signs that the action might be motivated by a supervisor’s attempt to retaliate against the employee.

How to manage union-organizing conflicts

April 14, 2023
Union organizing in the private sector is on the rise. Young Gen Z workers are taking matters into their own hands and forming micro-unions consisting of just a few employees at coffee shops, restaurants, retail stores and other workplaces. Managers and supervisors must be ready to respond in a way that tamps down the workplace conflict that’s sure to come with the organizing drive.

Rise in workplace violence against women may trigger new OSHA rules

April 10, 2023
Female workers are increasingly the targets of intentional acts of workplace violence, according to a deep-dive analysis of the latest occupational injury data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Part of the problem is that many of the occupations and industries most prone to physical injuries are dominated by women—and the harm they may experience is on the rise.

Keep it Legal: Make sure everyone follows safety rules

April 7, 2023
When you’re managing employees at a restaurant, store, school or any other communal workplace, don’t neglect to enforce safety rules. It’s crucial that everyone does their part.

A guide to navigating service animals at work

March 30, 2023
According to a recent EEOC ADA lawsuit, disabled workers who need their service animals at work are entitled to have those animals available during their workday as a reasonable accommodation or to help disabled workers overcome barriers to employment like getting to work with a service animal’s assistance.