On 28 January 2025, the Acting Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC or Commission), Andrea Lucas (Acting Chair Lucas) issued a statement announcing that the Commission is returning to its “mission of...more
In the midst of the multiple executive orders issued in the first days of the Trump administration, on 23 January 2025, the White House issued an executive order entitled Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial...more
As the Trump administration transitioned into power, the White House issued over 25 executive orders in the first days in office addressing a variety of topics including many focused on employment laws. While the flurry of...more
On 11 August 2023, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), a new law that protects the rights of pregnant and...more
Overview - As of 29 June 2023, employers must modify their practices when evaluating requests for religious accommodations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), because “undue hardship” is no longer...more
On 18 May 2023, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued nonbinding guidance on how existing federal anti-discrimination law may apply to employers’ use of artificial intelligence (AI) when hiring, firing,...more
While many have moved on from thinking about COVID-19 and its impact on daily life, employers are reminded that despite the expiration of the public health emergency (PHE), there are still workplace considerations related to...more
In the current pandemic environment, employers are searching for increasingly creative ways to incentivize COVID-19 vaccination among their employees. “Vaccine sweepstakes,” by which employers offer cash or other prizes...more
Introduction - On 4 October 2021, the Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services (the Departments) jointly issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) governing employers’ ability to provide discounts...more
On 13 May 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidance, stating that individuals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 “can resume activities without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet...more
5/19/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health and Safety ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced last Friday that it was withdrawing two proposed rules regarding the incentives employers can provide their employees as part of a wellness program without...more
The impact of COVID-19 on the health care industry can hardly be overstated. Numerous important employment law developments occurred in 2020 related to COVID-19 that impacted the industry, including guidance on mandatory...more
2/16/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Liability ,
Public Health ,
Racial Bias ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Telemedicine ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage-Fixing ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers ,
Workplace Safety
As additional COVID-19 vaccines receive emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, more employers are weighing the risks of implementing mandatory vaccination programs for employees. ...more
INTRODUCTION - Following earlier announcements as to the efficacy of vaccine trials by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, Inc. (Pfizer) and Moderna, Inc. on November 20, 2020, Pfizer and BioNTech submitted applications for...more
11/25/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Moderna Inc. ,
OSHA ,
Pfizer ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Religious Exemption ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workers’ Compensation
2019 brought continuing changes to employment law issues affecting the health care industry. The following Alert — prepared by K&L Gates’ collaborative team of employment lawyers dedicated to serving health care industry...more
1/29/2020
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Drug Testing ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Home Healthcare Workers ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Over-Time ,
Physicians ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Violence
2018 brought developments in employment law issues that have particular relevance to the health care industry. These include continuing developments regarding employee resistance to vaccination mandates, increased...more
2/5/2019
/ Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
NLRB ,
OSHA ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Violence
In this episode, Erinn Rigney discusses a recent Seventh Circuit court decision that opens the door for job applicants to assert claims of disparate impact under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)....more
This episode discusses the risks associated with mandatory employee vaccination programs and practical tips for health care entities on how to minimize these risks from an employment law perspective. In particular, this...more
8/28/2017
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Best Practices ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Grace Period ,
Healthcare ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Religious Exemption ,
Summary Judgment ,
Termination ,
Title VII ,
Undue Hardship ,
Vaccinations