The Employer Handbook Blog

How yesterday’s federal court strike of PA’s same-sex marriage ban affects employers

May 21, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

ICYMI, yesterday, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania ruled in this opinion that PA’s same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional.

How fitting that the first gay couple in Philadelphia to obtain a marriage license was Kerry Smith and Rue Landau, who serves as the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (PCHR). Congratulations, Rue and Kerry!

So, now that, for the time being, gay marriage is legal in the Keystone State, how does this impact local employers? Find out after the jump…

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Three employees fired for posing at work in KKK garb and makeshift crosses claim discrimination. Yep.

May 20, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

The thing about this law-blogging gig, other than the money, power and women, of course, is the pride of being first to post about a crazy new case.

Last week, I missed out on the nude sunbather who sued an elementary school-employer for retaliation. Well, Jon Hyman at the Ohio Employer’s Law Blog, I see your nude sunbather and raise you two white guys and a native american who dressed as klansmen at work, allowed themselves to be photographed, and then sued for race discrimination. Boom!

Yes, this really happened.

Should U.S. employers provide “paid menstrual leave”?

May 19, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

In Friday’s edition of The Atlantic, Emily Matcher’s “Should Paid ‘Menstrual Leave’ Be a Thing?” was shared over 12,000 times.

The article notes that several Asian countries including Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia, offer “menstrual leave” for women endure painful periods. However, Ms. Matcher mentioned that, while many of these laws are “well-intentioned,” many women decline to take leave given the potential embarrassment of having to substantiate the basis for their “menstrual leave” or because they may be viewed as weak.

Katy Waldman, writing at The Slate Blog, says “Thanks, but We Will Pass on Paid Menstrual Leave.” She argues that companies with reasonable sick-leave policies “should be able to accommodate these women without prying into their pants.”

Tennessee has a social media workplace privacy law now, y’all

May 16, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

Here are some Tennessee fun facts:

The city of Kingston served as Tennessee’s state capital for one day (September 21, 1807)

There are more horses per capita in Shelby County than any other county in the United States.

PA Superior Court closes non-competition-agreement loophole

May 15, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

In Pennsylvania, a company and an employee can enter into an agreement whereby, in exchange for some form of consideration, the employee agrees not to compete with the company after the employment ends.

Consideration can come in a variety of forms; for example, a raise, bonus, promotion, or ~~sugar~~. Initial employment can also be sufficient consideration.

However, in Pennsylvania, continued employment won’t cut it. That is, a non-competition agreement will be invalid if an employee signs it after commencing employment — even if you tell the employee that he/she will lose his job by not signing.

You’ve heard of the “one-free-grope” rule. How about the “two-free-slurs” rule?

May 14, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

It was Gloria Steinem who, in discussing President Bill Clinton’s indiscretions with Paula Jones and Kathleen Willey, fashioned the “one free grope” rule. That is, while not condoning President Clinton’s actions, Steinem concluded that one touching is not sexual harassment — at least as a matter law.

Well, yesterday, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, saw Steinem’s “one-free-grope” rule and raised her a “two-free-slurs” rule.

In Boyer-Liberto v. Fontainebleu Corp., (opinion (here), a black plaintiff alleged that her co-worker referred to her as a “porch monkey” twice in two days, from which she claimed to have been subjected to a racially hostile work environment.

My employee deleted all of her work emails and quit. Can I sue her for that?

May 13, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

Well, sure, you can.

But winning that case — especially if you’re thinking about a claim under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act — may be another story.

The CFAA is designed to prevent unauthorized access or malicious interference with a computer system. Often used as an employer-sword, to state a claim for a violation of the CFAA, a company must prove that an employee actually caused damage to its computer system or data. The CFAA defines “damage” as “any impairment to the integrity or availability of data, a program, a system, or information.”

Minimum wage bump coming for employees of many Philly contractors

May 12, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

Last week, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter signed this Executive Order, which will require that many city contractors provide a minimum wage of $12/hour beginning January 1, 2015. (Although, the Order will also apply to bids and proposals issued May 20, 2014).

The Executive Order also requires that contractors meet that same minimum wage standard for their first-tier subcontractors.

For more on which employers/employee qualify, read the Executive Order.

Survey shows that working moms earns less, but are satisfied with their jobs

May 9, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

This according to this survey released yesterday from CareerBuilder.com.

Working dads who were the sole breadwinners in their household were four times as likely to earn six figures, while working moms who are the sole breadwinners were nearly twice as likely to earn less than $35,000.

However, money may not be everything. That is, 78% of working moms reported they are happy in their current roles at work, with about 2/3rds of working moms having enjoyed the full amount of maternity leave available to them following childbirth.

Social media in the workplace: what’s legal; what’s not? #nextchat

May 8, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

Thumbnail image for weknownext.png Yesterday, my buddy Jonathan Segal and I joined forces on Twitter to answer eight questions from SHRM’s We Know Next about the state of the law governing social media and the workplace.

A big thank you to SHRM and to those who were able to join us and participate.

ICYMI, here is a full recap.