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In the largest disability discrimination settlement in U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission history, Verizon Communications has agreed to pay $20 million to hundreds of employees. The settlement resolves allegations that the company violated the Americans With Disabilities Act by implementing an unlawfully rigid attendance policy. Verizon denied reasonable accommodations to employees and disciplined and/or fired […]
How’s this for an illustration of how quickly developments can pop up that may require you to revise your employee handbook? Speaking at the Society for Human Resource Management’s annual conference today, Christine V. Walters discussed a new ruling only five days old, in which a federal appeals court held that an overly broad confidentiality policy […]
By Lauren M. Cooper A much-debated issue is whether you may lawfully require employees to speak only English in the workplace. The simple answer is yes. This article will address the circumstances in which you may legally enforce an English-only policy and the potential legal risks that follow. Status Quo Ante Employers increasingly ask employees […]
“I want to fire him, but I can’t.” It’s true that some employees are “fire-retardant”— they are in a protected class or have performed a protected act — but this doesn’t mean you can’t fire them.
To alleviate confusion among employers, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said it plans to clarify and update its guidance on leave as a workplace accommodation. In a June 8 meeting, commissioners offered their insight and took suggestions from stakeholders. “I’ve been told that many employers have difficulty with leave as an accommodation,” said Stuart […]
Want to learn more about the use of leave as an accommodation under the Americans With Disabilities Act? The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity will discuss the topic at a meeting next week. In implementing and enforcing the ADA, the commission makes clear that leave may be a required workplace accommodation for employees with disabilities. In […]
A recent article on the HR.BLR.com website prompted quite a response by Suzanne Lucas, who blogs as Evil HR Lady. “Oh, cry me a river” she said over suggestions that employers take steps to ameliorate off-site harassment of female employees.
Summer is upon us, and that means an influx of seasonal teen workers at many workplaces throughout the state. You may have already looked into the special safety rules for these workers, as well as the restrictions on the hours they can work, but there’s another key issue you may not have considered: sexual harassment.
Keeping up with federal employment laws is relatively straightforward, but state law is another matter — especially when that state is California.
Today is the day! Although many thought the day might never come, the final regulations under the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) are finally effective. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released these long-awaited regulations earlier this spring, and employers have been scrambling to become familiar with the intricacies of the new final rules, which are […]