Articles Posted in Workplace Safety / Violence

Your HR Guide to Hurricane Milton

October 10, 2024 | by Eric B. Meyer

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As I write this post on Wednesday night, Hurricane Milton is making landfall in Florida as a category three storm. 1.3 million people are without power, and forecasters warn that Milton could generate a storm surge with inundations of 12-13 feet.

Many of you with businesses in Florida will have closures this week. When companies shut down due to weather, employment issues arise. I can’t cover all of them in this post, but below, I’ve tried to outline some of the more prevalent federal issues with links to helpful resources.

An employee who wanted religious exception for the COVID-19 vaccine got called on it. Guess what happened next?

February 23, 2024 | by Eric B. Meyer

I’ll bet nowhere on your HR job description is there anything about serving as the religion police.

POLL RESULTS (sort of): Only about half of employers still have COVID-19 policies

November 20, 2023 | by Eric B. Meyer

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Although the vast majority of businesses implemented a written COVID-19 policy at one time or another, many have eliminated or stopped updating those policies. Continue reading

POLL: Does your business have a COVID-19 policy?

November 17, 2023 | by Eric B. Meyer

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The other day, a partner asked me about COVID-19 policies and how clients may still implement them.

Candidly, it wasn’t something I’d thought about for a while. Continue reading

The CDC’s latest COVID-19 guidance treats unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals the same

August 12, 2022 | by Eric B. Meyer

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In what it describes as “streamline[d] COVID-19 guidance,” the latest COVID-19 updates (here and here) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention don’t appear to distinguish between individuals regardless of vaccination status.

Potayto, potahto.

CORRECTION: A healthcare employer agreed to pay over $10M to settle claims about a COVID shot mandate

August 1, 2022 | by Eric B. Meyer

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On Friday, attorneys for over 500 current and former healthcare workers at a Midwest healthcare system announced that they had settled “the nation’s first classwide lawsuit” for employees alleging that they were unlawfully discriminated against and denied religious exemptions from a COVID shot mandate. Continue reading

A federal appellate court made it difficult to blame ’20-’21 large layoffs on COVID-19

June 16, 2022 | by Eric B. Meyer

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Days since I’ve blogged about COVID-19 = 78 0. Continue reading

Five days after the CDC reaffirmed its mask order for air travel, a federal judge nixed it nationwide

April 19, 2022 | by Eric B. Meyer

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On April 15, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that its Mask Order (requiring face masks on planes into and within the United States) would continue to allow the CDC time to assess the potential impact of the rise of COVID-19 cases.

Yesterday, however, a Florida federal judge struck the Mask Order in Florida and across the country, concluding that the CDC had exceeded its authority by instituting the Mask Order.

It’s the return of the mack, err, masks.

April 12, 2022 | by Eric B. Meyer

You can take the boy of the ’90s, but… Continue reading

Save yourself a call to your employment lawyer with this easy COVID-19 tool

March 30, 2022 | by Eric B. Meyer

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Wouldn’t it be nice to have a tool to help determine how long employees need to isolate, quarantine, or take other steps to prevent spreading COVID-19? Continue reading

You know that scientist in the action movie who has all the right answers if only the government would just pay attention? If you want a nerdy employment-lawyer brain to help you solve HR-compliance issues proactively before the action sequence, I’m here to help. I'm not only an EEOC-approved trainer, I offer day-to-day employment counseling, workplace audits and investigations, and other prophylactic measures to keep your workplace working while you focus on running your business. And for those employers in the midst of conflict, I bring all of my know-how to bear as your zealous advocate. I’m a trial-tested, experienced litigator that has represented companies of all sizes in a veritable alphabet soup of employment law claims, such as the ADA, ADEA, CEPA, FMLA, FLSA, NJLAD, PHRA, Title VII, and USERRA. I also help clients litigate disputes involving restrictive covenants such as non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, as well as conflicts over use of trade secrets and other confidential information. For more about me, my practice, and my firm, click on my full bio.