January, 2019

How can HR convince the C-Suite to purchase anti-harassment training in 2019?

January 17, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image Credit: Pixabay.com (https://pixabay.com/en/share-price-stock-exchange-business-1013626/)

It’s easier than you think. But, you need to speak the right language.

And that language is money. Continue reading

New $15 minimum wage bill will be introduced in the Senate today.

January 16, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Copyright Free – Stock Free images. Public Domain image dedication. CC0 1.0 Universal Licence – http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

For nearly ten years, from September 1, 1997 through July 23, 2007, the federal minimum wage was $5.15 per hour. Three times in the following two years, the minimum wage rose, settling in at $7.25 per hour on July 24, 2009. The minimum wage has remained $7.25 since then.

That might change soon. Continue reading

When can you fire the employee who just complained about discrimination or took FMLA leave?

January 15, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Sarah Klockars-Clauser [CC BY-SA 2.0]

Oh, I get it. You just clicked on this post for a friend.

Need a refresher on providing break time for nursing moms at work?

January 14, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Beukbeuk [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

I’ve got you covered. Continue reading

She was raped by her supervisor, the company suspended her and put the harasser back to work. How mad did this make a federal jury?

January 11, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Ken Lund from Reno, NV, USA [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Nope. Madder. Continue reading

Litigating against LGBT rights may win one case, but still be bad for business overall.

January 10, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

By Phillips 66 Company – http://hrcpdocctr.phillips66.com/HR_P66_Comm/Benefits/BenefitHighlights.pdf, Public Domain, Link

Among Fortune 500 companies, 91% prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and 83% prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. [Source] But, under federal law, circuit courts remain split as to whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbids discrimination based on LGBT status.

So, let’s say you’re a Fortune 500 company accused of LGBT discrimination in a jurisdiction in which the law may permit that type of abhorrent behavior.

Do you defend by arguing that the law permits LGBT discrimination? Continue reading

Justice Kavanaugh’s first SCOTUS opinion may speak volumes on how he’ll decide the next big employment case

January 9, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Yesterday, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh delivered the opinion for a unanimous Supreme Court in a case called Henry Schein, Inc. v. Archer & White Sales, Inc. Although the Court’s decision has nothing to do with employment law — it’s a case about antitrust issues and arbitration — there’s a little something from Justice Kavanaugh’s that may be more than a little something.

At least as it relates to a big employment case that could be coming down Supreme Court Boulevard in 2019. Continue reading

Now, about those federal courts running out of money this Friday…

January 8, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

AgnosticPreachersKid [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], from Wikimedia Commons

It’s time we double down on yesterday’s doom and gloom. Continue reading

How will a government shutdown and no quorum at the EEOC impact employers?

January 7, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

U.S. Government [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

At midnight on December 22, 2018, the federal government shut down. Well, not completely. But, a lot of federal employees are working without knowing when they may get paid.

Plus, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is already operating on a contingency plan — and that was before EEOC Commissioner Chai Feldblum’s commission ended on Friday, which left the administrative agency without a quorum.

I think that there’s a lot here to unpack here. Let’s get to it. Continue reading