The Employer Handbook Blog

A pharmacist claims that his employer should have accommodated his fear of needles. And he may be right.

March 18, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image Credit: Pixabay.com (https://pixabay.com/photos/syringe-medical-finger-957260/)

Over the weekend, I read a recent federal appellate court opinion about a pharmacist who alleged that his former employer discriminated against him by failing to accommodate his fear of needles. Continue reading

U.S. Department of Labor flips the bird for FMLA-eligible employees who then try to decline FMLA leave

March 15, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

jlastras [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Well, not literally. But, bear with me, and it’ll all make sense in a minute. Continue reading

With more co-sponsors than ever and huge corporate support, will Congress finally vote to ban LGBT discrimination?

March 14, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Image Credit: https://pixabay.com/en/pride-gay-nyc-new-york-city-flag-2444813/

There is a sure-fire way to avoid the uncertainty of when and how the Supreme Court may — legal jargon in 3…2…1… — adjudicate LGBT rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

And that’s to pass a law making LGBT discrimination at work unlawful.

Speaking of which… Continue reading

NJ is now THIS CLOSE to legalizing recreational marijuana. Here’s what that means for employers.

March 13, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Evan-Amos [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Big news yesterday from the Garden State. Continue reading

Three HR lessons from a supervisor’s alleged knuckle-dragging savagery.

March 12, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

Evieliam [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

What I have for you today is anything but fine. Continue reading

On International Women’s Day, the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team sued U.S. Soccer to demand equal pay.

March 11, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

By [1] – originally posted to Flickr as USWNT Celebrates Uploaded using F2ComButton, CC BY 2.0, Link

Friday was International Women’s Day. It was also the day that 28 members of the United States women’s soccer team filed this lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) in federal court alleging violations of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Why? Because the women get paid less than U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team.

But, can the plaintiffs prevail? Continue reading

BREAKING-ish, sorta, not really. Yeah, you knew this was coming. The DOL officially announces overtime changes.

March 8, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

2018-alarm-clock-balance-612051-1024x1024

Image Credit: Pexels.com (https://www.pexels.com/photo/2018-alarm-clock-balance-business-612051/)

Before all the Facebook creepiness, pukey-poopy emojis, and gushing over my awesome law firm, I foreshadowed some changes from the U.S. Department of Labor to the Fair Labor Standards Act overtime rules.

Yesterday, the DOL put a ring on it and made it official. Continue reading

Hey Eric! Can I spy on my former employee’s Facebook messenger account?

March 7, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

facebook-glasses-privacy-267372-1024x768

Image Credit: Pexels.com (https://www.pexels.com/photo/facebook-glasses-privacy-privacy-policy-267372/)

Asking for a friend, of course. Continue reading

Your EEO-1 will now take 3.4 hours longer to complete

March 6, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

J.s.ross [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

You can address your ‘thank you’ note to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Continue reading

So glad you asked. I’ll tell you all about my first year at FisherBroyles, the largest cloud-based law firm in the world.

March 5, 2019 | by Eric B. Meyer

“Eric, congratulations on the new gig with Fisher — it’s FisherBroyles, right?” they said with scrunched, skeptical faces that didn’t quite match their words of encouragement.

I got a lot of that when, after 12 years at a large, traditional law firm, I catapulted to the first and largest full-service cloud-based law firm in the world.

‘Catapulted’ is intentional. Sure, you can soar to new heights. But, the ultimate impact can be hard and messy.

So, how has the first year of practice been at FisherBroyles? Continue reading