Dear Clients and Friends, These words just came out of my mouth, “I have extra toilet paper I can trade for some rice.” Yesterday, I wore gloves, a face mask and carried homemade alcohol wipes in order to go food shopping. How the world has changed in one month! So this will not come as … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí With rapid automation there comes a tipping point for the need of humans in the workplace. Automation will become so pervasive that companies will need to cobble together remaining job duties into hybrid job positions to be performed by the remaining human employees. Is this the future? No, it’s … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí As an update to this post from April, New York recently became the second state to prohibit race discrimination based on hair bias. The bill, signed into law on July 12: Prohibits race discrimination based on natural hair or hairstyles; defines “race” for certain specific purposes to include, but … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí I recently spoke at the SHRM 2018 Annual Conference & Exposition in Chicago. My topic was “Health Issues are Nothing to Sneeze at: Chemical Sensitivities, Bed Bugs, Zika and Flu Shots.” SHRM had over 18,000 attendees. It was a great opportunity to discuss some of the legal issues employers face when … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Our first Annual Tampa Labor & Employment Law Seminar was a success, with more than 70 attendees! We anticipate growing the seminar in the coming years and will use your feedback to determine future topics and content. Thank you to all who attended. Congratulations to our blog contest winner! … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Another successful seminar in the books! Thank you to the nearly 400 attendees who came from near and far. We hope you enjoyed the day and that our presentations provided timely, relevant and valuable insight. Congratulations to our blog contest winners! You will receive complimentary registrations to our 2019 Seminar. Monelle Petgrave, Amadeus … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí On November 8, 2016, Florida voters approved the medical use of marijuana for individuals with certain debilitating medical conditions. The effective date was January 3, 2017. However, to date, Florida has done nothing to address how employers are to treat employees who will be prescribed marijuana for their disabilities. One … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Is your organization a “public accommodation” under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? Does your organization have a website? If so, can that website be navigated with a keyboard (instead of a mouse) and with screen reader software? Is the audio content on the website captioned? … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí For the past several weeks, the country has been enthralled by the controversy surrounding Rowan County, Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis, who spent five days in jail after she refused to comply with a federal court’s directive to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Davis, an Apostolic Christian, says that … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí According to Elizabeth Beck, a Florida attorney who deposed Donald Trump in 2011 in connection with a real estate project, Mr. Trump erupted when she requested a break in the deposition so she could pump breast milk: “He got up, his face got red, he shook his finger at … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí In the movie Horrible Bosses, three friends conspire to murder their bosses when they realize they are standing in the way of their happiness. While most employees would not take it to that extreme (hopefully!), conflicts between employees and their superiors occur. Recently, in Higgins-Williams v. Sutter Medical Foundation, … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Title VII, through the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), has expressly prohibited pregnancy discrimination since 1978. Thirteen years later, the Supreme Court, in Johnson Controls, told us that even well-intentioned, but facially discriminatory, gender and pregnancy based employment policies — like Johnson Control’s policy of prohibiting fertile women from working … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí I have good news for you! The U.S. Department of Labor has finally released revised notices and forms for use with employee leaves under the Family and Medical Leave Act. More good news: the new docs have a new expiration date – May 31, 2018. The revised notices/forms include … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Why would an employer force its employees to tell each other “I love you” or require employees to “thank God for their employment”? According to a lawsuit filed by the EEOC in New York federal court, the owners of United Health Programs of America and Cost Containment Group subscribe … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí How’s this for news? A.K. Verma, an engineer for the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) in India, was recently fired after last showing up for work in December 1990. Verma left work sick one morning in 1990. He requested leave and then sought an extension of his initial leave. … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Lots of people make New Year’s resolutions: to lose weight, quit smoking, stop procrastinating, and so on. With a week left in this very eventful year for employers, now is a great time to look back at the year we’ve had with an eye toward the challenges and concerns … Continue Reading
On November 4, Florida voters will go the polls to vote on a constitutional amendment that would legalize the use of medical marijuana. If the amendment passes, how will that impact Florida workplaces? Please join us for breakfast in our Miami office on November 10th. We will address important FAQs about how medical marijuana may affect … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí As promised in a previous post, if you were unable to attend the annual seminar in May or attended but need a quick refresher, a few of our most popular sessions are back for encore presentations at our Miami office. Our first session, “New Claim on the Horizon: Family Responsibilities … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Employers have fairly wide discretion in terms of developing work rules designed to increase productivity and decrease time spent “slacking off.” But, if you believe the reports, one Chicago-based company may have gone too far. Apparently, WaterSaver Faucet Company has been experiencing a decrease in employee productivity. The perceived … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí A bank teller in Kentucky recently sued her employer claiming that she was fired from her job for telling every customer she met to “have a blessed day.” She was just being polite, right? Well, the bank alleges that several customers were offended by the teller’s comment. The teller also … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Let’s do a little role-playing. You’re the HR Director and Jane is an employee at your company: Jane: I’ve been feeling anxious and depressed since my return to work from medical leave. HR Director: I’m sorry to hear that, Jane. I hope you feel better soon. Is there anything I … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Title VII and Pregnancy Discrimination Act could protect breastfeeding mothers at work Some women do it in the break room. Other women do it in their office. What about men? Well, they never do it. Pump breast milk, that is. Employers have had the last four years to get … Continue Reading
Three cases brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) highlight the importance of employers considering religious accommodations for their dress code policies. Pursuant to the law, a religious accommodation must be made as long as it does not impose an undue hardship to the employer. Two of the cases brought by the EEOC are … Continue Reading
Florida Governor Rick Scott signed SB 1030 today. This law now makes it legal for qualified patients in Florida to take low-THC cannabis in liquid form to treat certain seizure disorders, such as epilepsy and muscle spasms, and for cancer. While SB 1030 will likely not have a huge impact on day-to-day operations in the … Continue Reading
