On March 19, 2025, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the “EEOC”) and the Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) jointly issued a technical assistance document entitled “What To Do If You Experience Discrimination...more
3/24/2025
/ Affirmative Action ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Joint Policy Statements ,
New Guidance ,
Title VII
Generative AI could profoundly affect workplace dynamics, potentially bringing significant benefits to companies that are able to manage the risks. Here we focus on employment law as it relates to use of generative AI at...more
7/13/2023
/ Algorithms ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Bias ,
Confidential Information ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Job Applicants ,
Machine Learning ,
Performance Reviews
On May 30, 2023, the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB" or "the Board") joined an increasing number of government authorities to cast doubt on the enforceability of certain noncompetition...more
A frequently used step to control costs in times of uncertainty is to reduce personnel. A well-planned restructuring or reduction in force, generally referred to as a “layoff,” can achieve meaningful cost reductions...more
10/18/2022
/ Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Layoffs ,
Notice Requirements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Risk Management ,
Severance Agreements ,
Severance Pay ,
Vesting ,
Wages ,
WARN Act
As summarized in Goodwin’s previous client alert, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) published an “emergency temporary standard” that, among other things, mandates that employers with 100 or more U.S....more
11/10/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employer ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Masks ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On September 9, 2021, the White House announced three actions to increase COVID-19 vaccinations of private sector employees throughout the country. These extraordinary actions, which are aimed at curbing the surging Delta...more
9/10/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
OSHA ,
Private Sector ,
Subcontractors ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
As state and local stay-at-home orders are lifted, businesses across the U.S. are in the process of reopening or planning to reopen. Despite downward trends of new COVID-19 cases in some states, the COVID-19 pandemic...more
6/16/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Contact Tracing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fitness for Duty Exams ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Notification Requirements ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Remote Working ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Self-Reporting ,
Sick Employees ,
Virus Testing ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
Nearly ten weeks after Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Commonwealth has begun reopening its economy in phases.
LOOKING BACK -
On March 10,...more
The Massachusetts Attorney General recently issued guidance concerning amendments to the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act, which will take effect on July 1, 2018. Employers of Massachusetts employees should prepare for the...more
..The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has determined that it may be a reasonable accommodation under the state anti-discrimination law for a handicapped employee to use medical marijuana, if certified by a physician,...more