Religion

I’ll send Tommy back there to hit you in the head with a tack hammer if you get this HR compliance question wrong.

October 17, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

We’re going to quiz you today on workplace religious accommodations.

(If you fail, instead of sending Tommy Boy, I’ll call the HR police to your office to tear up your SHRM-CP certification into little, tiny pieces, which we will then use to fill eggs to throw at your home on Mischief Night. Then, after you’ve finished cleaning up your shame, you can come to work on Halloween in costume as an ‘HR professional’ and we’ll all have another good laugh, and maybe give you a piece of candy.) Continue reading

I’m a wizard, apparently, plus four other employment law takeaways from yesterday’s SCOTUS decision.

June 4, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image by Ivorytowers from Pixabay

Damn, I’m good! 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.

Girl Scout Cookies and Employment Law – Almost Everything That HR Needs To Know

January 25, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

50247553_478864095976213_764072409920700416_n-768x1024

Won’t you help little Ivy Meyer achieve her Girl Scout Cookies sales goal?

It’s that time of year again.

Coworkers have begun bombarding you with requests to purchase Girl Scout Cookies. So, in that spirit, let’s tackle:

Whether unions will start organizing your workplace if you relax your no-solicitation policy to allow employees to sell Girl Scout Cookies;
Can employees use your email system to proselytize if co-workers use it to sell Girl Scout Cookies; and
A bonus discrimination case involving the sale of Girl Scout Cookies gone terribly wrong.

Not every offhand comment, slight, and insult is a federal lawsuit.

December 7, 2018 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image Credit: Publicdomanpictures.net (https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=6968&picture=sticks-n-stones)

Meet “John” the firefighter. Continue reading

Although firing a proselytizing employee may be perfectly legal, making fun of him is a really bad idea.

June 26, 2018 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image Credit: Pixabay.com (https://pixabay.com/en/angel-church-religion-edward-312462/)

Just ask a midwest employer that had its motion for summary judgment denied and now may have to defend a hostile work environment claim before a federal jury. Continue reading

SCOTUS sides with baker that refused to bake a cake to celebrate gay marriage. But, it’s not what you think.

June 5, 2018 | by Eric B. Meyer

Masterpiece Cakeshop (Lakewood, Colorado).JPG

By Jeffrey Beall – Own work, CC BY 4.0, Link

Most of you have probably heard of the case that went to the Supreme Court involving a Colorado baker who would customize a wedding cake for a same-sex couple because he believed that doing so would violate his religious beliefs. The case is called Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.

Yesterday, in a 7-2 ruling, the Supreme Court sided with the baker.

Today, you’ll read headlines like, “Supreme Court sides with Colorado baker who refused to make wedding cake for same-sex couple” or “Supreme Court Hands Win To Baker Who Refused Service To Gay Couple”

But, don’t get it twisted. Continue reading

If you’re considering forcing your employees to practice the “Onionhead” religion, well, don’t.

May 3, 2018 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image Credit: FreeStockPhotos.biz (http://www.freestockphotos.biz/stockphoto/15030)

We employment lawyers have stories upon stories.

When it comes to the employer-employee relationship, especially when that relationship hits the skids, we’ve seen it all.

But, every once in a while there comes a story that even raises my eyebrows. Continue reading

Do your employees understand the limits of their freedom of speech? If not, educate them.

March 26, 2018 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image Credit: Pexels.com and http://negativespace.co/photos/computer-in-bed-2/)

Do your employees appreciate that what they do on social media on their own time can cost them their job?

Do your employees think that “freedom of speech” can save them from getting fired? Continue reading

BOOKMARK THIS: A blueprint to providing an employee with a religious accommodation

March 15, 2018 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image Credit: Pixabay.com (https://pixabay.com/en/blueprint-ruler-architecture-964629/)

I started the week presenting to HR audiences in DC and NJ about accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Today, I want to pivot into religious accommodations by highlighting a recent federal court decision, which can teach employers a thing or two about how to engage in a good-faith interactive dialogue. Continue reading