Last week, the Equality Act was introduced in Congress.  If enacted, this historic legislation will prohibit discrimination in employment and other life activities on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. It’s too early to tell if the Act will pass, but major companies including Apple, Dow Chemical, and Levi Strauss have expressed their support.

Discrimination

• The New York Times covered Salesforce’s strides toward gender equality.
• Robin Shea reminded supervisors not to call employees “old farts.”
• Jon Hyman offered great advice on how to handle sexual harassment complaints.

Technology

• LinkedIn’s Talent Blog noted that anti-discrimination training is essential for all employees involved in employer branding initiatives.
• BBC asked if company heads should be tweeting.
• Blogging4Jobs described the limits of big data.
• SHRM gave some tips on how to keep employees safe from robots. 
• In a development that was frightening for the trucking industry and other transportation businesses, hackers accessed a Jeep and stopped it on the highway.
• Rumors surrounding Google Glass 2.0 suggest that the wearable will be designed for the workplace.
• Wareable covered the wearables expected to take over offices in 2016. 

Wage and Hour

• Wage & Hour Insights covered the “fee basis” test under the FLSA. 
• Inside Counsel suggested that  employers fortify their FLSA defenses. 

Upcoming Webinar

Please join us from Noon-1:00 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, August 19 for a webinar on Social Media in the Workplace.  This program has been approved for recertification credit by both SHRM and HRCI.  For more information or to register, click here.