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The Employer Handbook Blog

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Who was the worst employer of 2020? Place your vote!

Wikirishiaacharya, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By most reasonable accounts, this year has been one hot mess. Fortunately, I’m blessed to work at an amazing law firm, FisherBroyles. Last week, the prestigious Financial Times announced that we had been short-listed for its “Innovative Lawyers – North America” awards, in…

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The ADA does not require accommodating medical marijuana use. But, what about synthetic THC?

Image by Erin Stone from Pixabay The Americans with Disabilities Act requires an employer to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities who are employees or applicants for employment, except when such accommodation would cause an undue hardship. In the history of ADA, I don’t know of any court…

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A nurse, a TikTok video, and ignoring COVID-19 safety protocols. (This doesn’t end well…)

Image by Chrystal Elizabeth from Pixabay Pretty much none of you who emailed me after yesterday’s post about state-mandated vaccines were too keen on that idea. But, speaking of COVID-19 and safety precautions, let’s see what you think about today’s twist. Have you heard about the oncology nurse in Oregon…

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Can your state require you to get the COVID-19 vaccine? At least one has a pending bill…

Image by Liz Masoner from Pixabay Enough with the “Can companies require employee COVID-19 vaccinations?” articles already! Yes, they probably can, subject to disability and religious accommodations. But, what if, instead of an employer mandating vaccinations, an entire state did so for nearly all of its residents? No, I wasn’t…

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Heads up! Check to see if your state and local quarantine rules have changed recently.

Image by thedarknut from Pixabay Last week, I wrote here about how the CDC had changed its guidance on COVID-19 close contact. As a result, lots of state and local guidance became misaligned with the federal change. But now they’re catching up. For example, Sara Satullo at LehighValleyLive.com reports here…

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Can your business dodge an EEOC discrimination claim by closing and opening under a new name?

Image by GraphicMama-team from Pixabay If you got to this page via Google, please don’t call or email me. 😉 Because I’m pretty sure that it doesn’t work like the title of this blog post. But, hey, I’ve been wrong before. Once. Let’s see if a Michigan restaurant had any…

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It took until December, but I just read about the most ‘2020’ social media firing of the year.

Håkan Dahlström, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Plus, I get to start the week right by citing a source called “Russian Machine Never Breaks.” Not this one, but this one. ***chef’s kiss*** At the aforementioned Russian Machine Never Breaks, Ian Oland reports that a Canadian professional hockey team has fired…

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For how much did one of the most important employment cases of 2020 just settle?

Image by Mike Braun from Pixabay On June 15, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate based on sex, also prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and transgender…

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Just when you thought you had it all figured out, the CDC updated its ‘close contact’ guidance (again!)

Image by Kristin Baldeschwiler from Pixabay You and me, we’re a lot alike. I mean, I feel you. It’s tough enough to retain and immediately recall all of the various federal, state, and local guidance on COVID-19. Take the quarantine/isolation rules, for example. Between the various state rules for interstate…