Last September, for the first time ever, the EEOC sued two private employers for discriminating against employees who had transitioned from one gender to another. One of those cases settled last week for $150K. Yesterday, the other action survived the employer’s motion to dismiss the case. Now, the federal court deciding…
The Employer Handbook Blog
For ADA and accommodating employee disabilities, think ‘Burger King’
ADA and Burger King?!? Has someone been eating too many Whoppers? No. But I did spend a 20 minute Uber ride yesterday sucking down mustard packets. Actually, the inspiration for this post comes from Seattle Attorney, Michael Harrington, who presented “The Wild, the Weird and the Wonderful FMLA/ADAAA Cases…And the Lessons…
Are there no limits to what employees can get away with on social media?
I can’t blame you if last month’s decision from the National Labor Relations Board, left you asking the question: “Are there no limits to what employees can get away with on social media?” The Board decision, in case you missed it, reinstated an employee who went on Facebook and called his boss a “NASTY MOTHER…
The Employment Law Blog Carnival: April Showers Edition #ELBC
Three highlights of my weekend: This sword-balloon fight at dinner on Saturday. Eagles sign Tim Tebow. Because, what could possibly go wrong by reuniting this with this in Philadelphia? Catching up on the pilot of the new FX show, The Comedians. I’m all in. Honorable mention — ok, better than the balloon fight…
Revealed! The EEOC’s new proposed wellness program rules.
More eagerly anticipated that the premiere of Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, yesterday, the EEOC released its new proposed rules on wellness programs. Although, based on the Paul Blart reviews, hemorrhoids too may be more eagerly anticipated. No strikethrough on the last sentence. Weird. But, if you want to have an employee…
Dude, you were fired for fellatio jokes, not your disability.
Geez! What’s gotten into me this week? Even by The Employer Handbook editorial standards, which are lower than Title VII’s religious accommodation undue hardship test. [I’ll be here all week. Sorry.] First, a 1000+ word blog post on ADA telework, followed by two cheeky posts on bad interview questions and the…
Remember, you guys. The “L” in FMLA stands for Leave.
This one goes out to all of you employees who are contemplating a claim against a former employer for violating the Family and Medical Leave Act. Read this federal court opinion and make a mental note: when you voluntarily work from home, that’s not “leave” under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Yep,…
Burn these job interview questions. Send ’em to hell!
Kinda like this, but different. According to a recent survey from CareerBuilder.com, 1 out of 5 employers failed to read my 2011 blog post about interview questions to avoid, have asked a question in a job interview only to find out later that it was illegal to ask. Indeed, the poll…
The latest guidance for employers on telecommuting as an ADA accommodation
If you’re in a rush, I’ll hit you with the punchline and save you the trouble of reading 1,000+ words of blog post: Telecommuting may be a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, except where regular attendance is an essential function of the job. For those of you with a…
EEOC: U.S. Army’s bathroom restriction on transgender employee was sex discrimination
Exactly one month ago, I addressed what many consider to be the elephant in the room when it comes to transgender employees: bathroom use. On Wednesday, EEOC Commissioner Chai Feldblum fired off a series of tweets (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) to lawyers representing employers and employees. Below (and…