As the weather warms, Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) is set to enforce its new Heat Illness Prevention Standard (the Standard). Under the Standard, Maryland employers will likely need to provide 10-minute...more
The Department of Labor (DOL) recently brought suit against East Pennsylvania Manufacturing (East Penn) under the Fair Labor Standard Acts (FLSA) for allegedly failing to pay thousands of employees for time they spent...more
Picture this: You're packing up your office, getting ready to head home for the evening, when your human resources manager peaks her head in. She explains that she has just fielded a complaint from a female employee: a male...more
9/27/2024
/ Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Appeals ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Hostile Environment ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
Social Media Policy ,
Social Networks ,
Title VII
The Maryland General Assembly recently adjourned for the year, but not before legislators enacted changes to Maryland employment law. The new compliance obligations required by these changes are summarized below...more
Picture this: You're just about set to open a new workplace in Smallsville. The only hurdle remaining is finding the right person to manage the new location. After giving this problem considerable thought, you think you've...more
5/10/2024
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Employee Transfers ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Lateral Transfers ,
Muldrow v City of St Louis ,
SCOTUS ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Title VII
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) took effect on June 27, 2023 and requires that employers with 15 or more employees provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees and applicants with known limitations...more
Fast forward: It’s June 1, 2024, and you’ve just received a call from one of your Safety Managers. He tells you that a Compliance Safety and Health Officer (CSHO) has arrived at the workplace and wants to conduct an...more
It's that time of year again—hiring season! And right on cue, your director of human resources has scheduled a meeting to pitch you a quick fix: artificial intelligence (AI)....more
Ready or not, reporting season is right around the corner. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently announced that the 2022 EEO-Component 1 data collection will open on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, and the...more
Picture this: Your company has developed an artificial intelligence software program that instantly scans thousands of résumés and identifies the perfect candidates for hiring. You call a prospective client whose human...more
Whose idea was it to adopt a hybrid work schedule anyway? Regardless, your HR Department is on the phone asking for assistance with a remote work-related complaint....more
Whose idea was it to hire all these new folks anyway? Regardless, your HR Department is on the phone pleading for assistance—they are overrun with thousands of applications and résumés. Searching for a way to help, you come...more
How far must employers go to accommodate their employees' sincerely held religious beliefs? Last month, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Groff v. DeJoy, a case that asks the Justices to answer this very question—and...more
5/19/2023
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
De Minimus Doctrine ,
Employment Policies ,
Groff v DeJoy ,
Oral Argument ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Religious Beliefs ,
SCOTUS ,
Title VII ,
Undue Hardship ,
USPS
Currently, an estimated 30 million workers in the United States are covered by non-compete agreements. The latest proposal from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) seeks to alter this element of the employment landscape in one...more
On October 19, 2022, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released the "Know Your Rights" poster, which officially supersedes the previous "EEO is the Law" poster. Numerous federal laws enforced by the EEOC...more
On May 25, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced that the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) published new Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Guidance. The DOL explained that the new Fact Sheet and Frequently Asked...more
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law in 1990. Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination based upon disability in any place of public accommodation....more
Caption: On January 13, 2022, after hearing emergency oral arguments, the Supreme Court handed down decisions staying OSHA’s ETS and upholding the CMS Rule requiring healthcare workers to be fully vaccinated against...more
1/20/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Biden v Missouri ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Lack of Authority ,
National Federation of Independent Business v Department of Labor and OSHA ,
OSHA ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
SCOTUS ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Every employer understands the importance of actively ensuring employee safety and compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) standards, but a recent federal appeals court decision provides additional...more
1/11/2022
/ Appeals ,
Construction Industry ,
Construction Project ,
Employee Misconduct ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
OSHA ,
Safety Violations ,
Willful Violations ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety