Discrimination and Unlawful Harassment

285,000 reasons that your company president shouldn’t ridicule an employee with a disability. Especially not in email.

April 15, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Lorimar Productions/NBC [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

In 1976, Sally Field played Sybil in the eponymous TV movie. Sybil was a teacher who suffered a breakdown in front of her students, only to be diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. Throughout the movie, Sybil exhibits multiple personalities — 16 in all.

Some may even consider Sybil to be ‘crazy.’

Or at least someone with a mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities a/k/a a disability. Continue reading

The EEOC just announced its 2018 performance numbers. Here are three things employers need to know.

April 11, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Aotearoa at Polish Wikipedia [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Spoiler Alert: the Federated States Of Micronesia had zero charges of discrimination Continue reading

Imagine being forced to re-employ the person who claims that your company discriminated against her.

April 10, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Public Domain, Link

Many people forget that federal anti-discrimination law, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, contemplates reinstatement of an employee as a remedy for discrimination. Continue reading

Looks can be deceiving. Morbid obesity isn’t necessarily a disability.

April 8, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image Credit: Photofunia.com (http://photofunia.com/results/5ca8a63b846d788d968b457e) (What a strange thing to write on a window.)

Even in New Jersey, where employment law is ‘Mister Rogers’ friendly to employees. Continue reading

There are better ways to improve employee morale than with exorcisms and sex questionnaires, I’m told.

April 4, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image Credit: Pixabay.com (https://pixabay.com/vectors/devil-red-demon-cartoon-satan-29973/)

Howard Stern interviewed Alec Baldwin recently. Mr. Baldwin was talking about going to anger management classes and realizing quickly that, well, he’s really not that angry. At least not compared to some of the other folks required to attend anger management classes.

Now, consider your most pain-the-butt, problem employee.

On Equal Pay Day, let’s take a closer look at what’s being done to address pay disparity.

April 2, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image Credit: Pixabay.com (https://pixabay.com/en/money-finance-business-success-2696238/)

Today is Equal Pay Day. Continue reading

Another New Jersey court weighs in on MedMar accommodations…and it’s WILD!

April 1, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image Credit: Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/en/marijuana-scales-legalization-drugs-2754249/)

The case is called Wild v. Carriage Funeral Holdings, Inc. So, yeah, it’s “Wild.”

And so as not to bury the lede, the court concluded that the plaintiff, a medical marijuana user, could pursue discrimination claims under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (the LAD) against his employer. Continue reading

Fact or Fiction: Can an employee pursue a hostile work environment claim based on his disability?

March 28, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image Credit: Pixabay.com (https://pixabay.com/en/question-mark-note-duplicate-457454/)

That’s right folks. It’s time for another edition of “Fact or Fiction” a/k/a “Quick Answers to Quick Questions” a/k/a QATQQ f/k/a “I don’t feel like writing a long blog post.”

It’s your fault that this post is so short. Continue reading