Do you remember that scene from Rounders, right after Mike McDermott spots Teddy KGB’s poker “tell,” when Teddy laments, “Hanging around…hanging around… kid’s got alligator blood. Can’t get rid of him.“? It feels that way, with the Federal Trade Commission’s non-compete Rule imposing a comprehensive ban on new non-competes with…
The Employer Handbook Blog
Heads up, Pennsylvania healthcare providers! The Commonwealth passed a new noncompete law.
With most eyes focused on a pending lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to eliminate the FTC’s noncompete ban, local employers may have missed the news last week that Governor Shapiro signed into law a measure restricting the use of non-competition agreements in…
Must an employer grant a RETROACTIVE workplace accommodation if a disabled employee requests one??
No. At least not unless they drive a DeLorean powered by 1.21 gigawatts of electricity that can travel back through time to convert their retroactive request to a prospective one. That’s what I took away from a recent federal court decision involving a military veteran who suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress…
How to investigate claims of harassment — when the accused is part of HR
Yesterday, we addressed the risks of not letting HR do its job by investigating sexual harassment complaints. Today, we’ll discuss a recent decision underscoring the importance of thoroughly investigating employee complaints. Ironically, the subject of the investigation was an HR supervisor. One of her subordinates complained to the HR Supervisor’s…
50,000 reasons to reconsider scolding an HR Manager for investigating sexual harassment claims (i.e., doing their job).
Yesterday, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced that a Pennsylvania-based construction company will pay $50,000 and furnish other relief to settle a retaliation lawsuit. According to the EEOC, a human resources manager received and subsequently investigated a complaint of sexual harassment against the company’s general manager. The EEOC alleged…
There’s a right way and a wrong way to investigate FMLA fraud, as one employer found out.
Recently, a federal judge concluded that an employer accused of contacting a healthcare provider to confirm its suspicions that one of its employees had submitted a false medical certification interfered with the employee’s rights under the Family Medical Leave Act. The plaintiff worked as an attorney for the defendant. According…
Previously overlooked, a black man changed the name on his resume to sound less ethnic. Then, he got an interview. Now, he’s suing.
Yesterday, we discussed unconscious bias training in the workplace. Today, we’ll talk about an employer that may need some if the allegations in a recently filed complaint against it are true. According to the complaint filed in Michigan state court earlier this month, a 27-year-old African-American man from Detroit applied…
How to address employees that refuse unconscious bias training
A company fired an employee who objected to completing mandatory unconscious bias training. He claimed retaliation, but an appellate court disagreed and dismissed his lawsuit. I’ll explain why. In 2020, a company official emailed all employees with the subject line: “Continue to Fight for Social Justice.” In the body of…
A second bite at the apple? Plaintiffs ask to reconsider a nationwide injunction on the FTC noncompete rule
I’m a geek—I admit it. I get docket alerts whenever something happens in the FTC noncompete lawsuit pending in Texas, like last week when the judge blocked the Federal Trade Commission’s comprehensive ban on noncompetes—but only for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. For now, your business must comply with the…
Here are a few pages to add to your ADA accommodation playbook from a recent federal appellate court decision
The Americans with Disabilities Act makes employers responsible for reasonably accommodating individuals with disabilities unless doing so will create undue hardship. However, accommodating employees with disabilities is not a perfect science. Fortunately, a recent Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decision provides employers with some helpful tips. The case involves an…