The Supreme Court recently made it easier for employees to prove discrimination, lowering the bar from “serious harm” to “some harm.” That change came from a 2024 sex discrimination case, but its reasoning can influence other Title VII claims too. A new decision from the federal court in the Eastern…
Second chances just became a little stronger in Philadelphia. On October 8, 2025, the Mayor signed new amendments to the city’s Fair Chance Hiring law, Philadelphia’s version of “Ban the Box,” that tighten requirements for employers and expand rights for applicants with criminal records. TL;DR Philadelphia has amended its Fair…
The local and national news outlets were buzzing yesterday about a family toting around a five-foot reptile in Philadelphia’s Love Park last week. Meet Wally, the Emotional Support Alligator. Imagine encountering this beast on your afternoon stroll out with the family. This report from the Philly Voice included reactions from some…
lost by Andrew Doane from the Noun Project Spoiler alert: The place with hecka-cheesesteaks was flexing. Philadelphia’s mask rules. All Philadelphia businesses and institutions must require all employees and patrons — regardless of vaccination status — to wear masks indoors unless they require vaccinations for all employees and patrons. Certain…
Luigi Crespo from Frederick, MD, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons That would make things interesting, wouldn’t it? New Jersey and Philadelphia, among others, tighten the belt. We’ve seen a spate of new state and local COVID-19 restrictions over the past week or so. Why, just yesterday, New Jersey…
vargas2040, Cropped by OsamaK / CC BY-SA You get emergency paid sick leave! You get emergency paid sick leave! You get emergency paid sick leave! Ok, so maybe Oprah had nothing to do with Public Health Emergency Leave, a bill that provides up to two weeks of paid sick leave…
Image Credit: Pixabay.com (https://pixabay.com/en/interview-job-icon-job-interview-1018333/) Back in 2017, the City of Philadelphia became the first city in the country to pass a law forbidding local employers from asking individuals about their salary history. The purpose of the law was to help close the wage gap between men and women. Then the…
By Zuzu – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link “72 police officers in trouble over offensive Facebook posts is your wake-up call to reeducate employees about responsible social media.” Yeah, that takeaway stinks. I should have focused on the conscious bias instead. Yesterday, at the SHRM Conference, I was talking…
By Zuzu – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link I’m typing this post in Las Vegas at the 2019 SHRM Annual Conference and Exposition. Several years ago, the intersection employee use of social media and HR compliance spawned several sessions on the topic. I should know; I delivered many of…
Image Credit: @HelenGymAtLarge (Twitter) In a 14-3 vote last week, Philadelphia City Council approved sweeping changes to the ways local employers can schedule work, hire new employees, and pay their workers. It’s kind of a big deal. And with Mayor Kenney chomping at the bit to sign the legislation, here’s…