Top view of mixed race business team sitting at the table at loft office and working. Woman manager brings the document

Board Member Philip Miscimarra’s term on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) expired last week with a bang rather than a whimper. In the final days of his tenure, the Board reversed four controversial Obama-era decisions addressing joint employers, workplace policies, micro-units, and the duty to bargain. These decisions, summarized below, will impact all employers, not just those with unionized workforces. Although the Board now returns to a 2-2 Republican to Democrat split as a result of Miscimarra’s departure, once his Republican replacement is confirmed employers should expect to see more decisions on the chopping block. Continue Reading NLRB Reverses Four Obama-Era Decisions

GettyImages-512901702-335x223

From Anita Hill’s allegations in the 1990s to the recent flood of allegations in the news headlines, sexual harassment has been a persistent and pervasive problem. It occurs at all levels, across all occupations. While many companies have policies addressing inappropriate and unwelcome sexual behavior in the workplace, those policies may not be enough. Continue Reading Tips on How to Proactively Address Workplace Harassment

New York Skyline With Brooklyn Bridge at Night

As we previously blogged here, beginning on October 31, New York City businesses will no longer be allowed to ask about an applicant’s salary history during the hiring process.

Just in time for the law to go into effect, the NYC Commission on Human Rights has published a set of FAQs to help employers and the public navigate through the hiring process under this new law. Below are some key takeaways from the FAQs. According to the Commission’s guidance, this is how the law is expected to be applied.

Continue Reading Don’t Be Scared: Guidance Issued Ahead of Halloween Implementation of NYC Salary History Law

Biometrics Fingerprint Scan

Technological advances are leading many businesses to collect and store the biometric data of their employees, contractors, and customers for purposes of identification and authentication. Biometric data has many uses, such as giving people access to their accounts and sensitive financial information, providing employees, contractors, and customers physical access to workplaces and businesses, and giving employees the ability to clock in and out of work without using keyfobs or ID cards. Continue Reading Illinois Businesses Beware: Class Action Suits on the Rise for Alleged Violations of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act

Calendar

How long is too long, when an employee requests leave for medical reasons? Employers have received welcome guidance from the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on this question. In Severson v. Heartland Woodcraft, Inc., No. 15-3754 (7th Cir. Sept. 20, 2017), the Seventh Circuit held that a request for a two to three month leave of absence is not a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This is as close to a bright-line rule as could be hoped for in this all too murky area of ADA law.

Continue Reading Two to Three Month Leave of Absence Not a Reasonable Accommodation, 7th Circuit Holds

Pay stub

Pay Data Requirement for EEO-1 Form Stayed
Earlier this week, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) initiated an immediate stay of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s revamped Employer Information Report, or EEO-1. As discussed here, an expanded EEO-1 was issued in September 2016, and required employers to submit information on employee pay and hours by job category, in addition to demographic information. The new EEO-1 requirement was to take effect beginning with the next EEO-1 date of March 31, 2018 (changed from previous September 30 submission deadlines.) Continue Reading Important EEO-1 and I-9 Updates

Sick Leave

On July 1, 2017, Chicago’s Paid Sick Leave Ordinance and Cook County’s Earned Sick Leave Ordinance go into effect, requiring employers to provide paid sick leave to covered employees. (A detailed description of each ordinance’s requirements may be found on our blog here and here.) In addition to providing paid sick leave, employers must provide notice to employees of their rights under the law. Continue Reading Reminder for Cook County and Chicago Employers: New Sick Leave Laws Become Effective July 1

New York City, NYC, USA

New York City made waves this month by imposing new requirements on independent contractor agreements and by passing a law that prohibits employers from asking about or considering an applicant’s prior salary. Although New York City is just the third jurisdiction to adopt a law prohibiting inquiries into an applicant’s salary history (Massachusetts and Philadelphia have already passed similar measures), employers everywhere should take note as it is widely anticipated that other local and state governments will follow suit. Continue Reading Big Changes in the Big Apple: NYC Bans Salary History Questions and Imposes New Requirements for Independent Contractors

GettyImages-492303039

Employers in California now have long-overdue clarity about when their employee schedules comply with California law.

The California Supreme Court last Monday handed down a unanimous opinion, Mendoza v. Nordstrom, Inc., that clarifies the meaning of California’s “day of rest” statutes. These statutes make it illegal for an employer to “cause” an employee to work “more than six days in seven,” unless “the total hours of employment do not exceed . . . six hours in any one day thereof.” Continue Reading Make the Days Count: New California Guidance on Workweek Schedules

Online Media Concept. Blue Podcast Button with Microphone. 3d Re

In this 20-minute podcast, Hank Sledz and Lauren Novak discuss Congress’ push to allow private companies to offer comp time in lieu of paying time-and-a-half for overtime under the Working Families Flexibility Act, how employer-friendly the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Department of Labor will be under new leadership, and other important changes during the Trump Administration’s first 100 days that could hurt or help employers.

(Also, tune in to find out if Hank and Lauren’s labor and employment predictions about the new administration from last December were right.)

You can listen to the podcast here.