The Employer Handbook Blog

I usually save my best posts for Monday, but what the heck… We are expecting our third child in August.

Back in December, I wrote here about a federal court in Louisiana recognizing that a morbidly-obese plaintiff may have a physical impairment which, if it substantially limits one or more major life activities, would bring that plaintiff within the scope of the ADA (the pre-ADAAA version). As an update to…

Allegedly, of course. Say it ain’t so, Paula. RadarOnline.com reports here — how many times to I get to type that?!? — that a former employee of one of Paula Deen’s restaurants has accused both the TV chef and her brother of race discrimination and sexual harassment. You can find…

On Monday I had the privilege of presenting “Social Media for HR: Practical Guidance from a Generation Y Attorney” to a packed house at the SHRM 2012 Employment Law and Legislative Conference in Washingon, DC. I killed (naturally) and the audience of attorneys and HR professionals was fantastic. During the course…

When an employee sues his former employer alleging a religiously hostile work environment, he must prove, among other things, that he was subjected to harassment based on his religion and that the harassment was either severe or pervasive. What do you think? Is the email below from a company General…

Back on August 26, in this post, I gave the heads up that the National Labor Relations Board would require most private-sector employers to post this notice (a super-sized version of the one on the right), in a conspicuous location, informing employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act,…

About a year, I wondered whether employers should ever require job applicants to divulge Facebook passwords. Ultimately, I concluded then — and still believe now — that while employers may choose to use social media as part of a background-check process, you’re playing with fire if you start asking job…

Quick quiz:  What protections does the ADA provide to veterans with disabilities? When is a veteran with a service-connected disability protected by the ADA? May an employer ask if an applicant is a “disabled veteran” if it is seeking to hire someone with a disability? So, how did you do?…

I got this as a Google Alert on Monday. The case is Davids v. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. Allow me to set the stage for you. Plaintiff sues, claiming ongoing suffering from osteonecrosis of the jaw (if you click the link, don’t look at the picture on the right. Ewwwww)   Defendant…

Yesterday, I had the absolute privilege of moderating a panel on social media in the workplace at TLNT Transform in Austin, TX. Transform is for talent managers and HR leaders who are looking for cutting-edge insights and best practices from innovative and forward-thinking companies.  Three HR Rockstars, Karren Fink, Laurie…