Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
The recent Supreme Court decisions eliminating Chevron deference and granting presidents all-but blanket immunity have prompted responses from Congress, both to support and invalidate the rulings. No Kings Act In response to the High Court’s presidential immunity ruling, over 30 Democratic Senators joined Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and introduced a bill that would overturn […]
Question: How frequently can a nursing mother take breaks under the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers (PUMP) Act? For example, although the law requires “reasonable break time,” what if an employee needs to pump every 30 minutes or every hour? Answer: It depends. The PUMP Act requires employers to provide covered employees “reasonable break […]
Massachusetts joined a growing list of states with pay transparency laws when Governor Maura Healy signed “An Act Relative to Salary Range Transparency” into law. The law, which will take effect in stages in 2025, requires many Massachusetts employers to disclose salary/pay ranges in all job postings and to file certain wage data/information with the […]
On July 29, 2024, the California Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in Bailey v. San Francisco Dist. Attorney Office, Cal., No. S265223 and held that the employee’s claims of racial harassment should proceed to jury trial, as well as that the trial court’s decision to dismiss the case in favor of the employer was in […]
As we find ourselves in the last quarter of 2024, we felt it was right to go back to the basics for those navigating the complex landscape of employment law. Understanding these laws helps to protect your business from legal disputes and fosters a positive environment for employees while ensuring compliance and a fair and […]
Once upon a time, the employee’s workplace was entirely separate from their private life. No more. The two now bleed together, resulting in legal trouble for employers. Male Manager Targets a Female Colleague Lindsay Okonowsky worked as the sole staff psychologist at a federal prison on the West Coast. Lieutenant Steven Hellman supervised the prison […]
Question: We gave a $5,000 sign-on bonus to a new hire who has been a no-show for numerous days, and we haven’t been able to contact them. Can we withhold and/or deduct from this employee’s final paycheck to recoup some of the sign-on bonus? Answer: Most likely, no. Unless the employee signed an agreement giving you […]
One of the hardest things for employers is being accused of wrongdoing and, rather than reacting defensively, flipping it to their advantage. For an example of how to do so, let’s look to the University of Houston (UH) and how it handled a discrimination complaint from a disappointed professorship applicant. Professors Squabbling Kate Kingsbury applied […]
Ever hear the expression “loose lips sink ships”? It comes from WWII and was plastered on posters in port cities, warning that gabbing about the sailing times of vessels carrying materials and soldiers would endanger their safe sailing. I thought it fit a very recent case from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, the […]
Recently, Connecticut significantly expanded its paid sick leave law. Among other changes, the law will apply to more (and eventually all) Connecticut employers and will allow employees to use paid sick leave for illnesses suffered by a broader array of family members. Original Paid Sick Leave Law Connecticut originally passed a paid sick leave law […]