California has a habit of finding creative ways to protect employees from potential instances of discrimination or retaliation, no matter how remote. ...more
Washington is one of eight states with a law prohibiting employers from holding mandatory meetings addressing their position on religion, politics, and union organizing. ...more
Our June update includes a new gender critical philosophical belief case exploring some new areas (such as the nature of the workplace), a case on redaction of disclosure documents and whether the redacted material was...more
The Utah legislature wrapped up its seven-week legislative session on March 1, 2024. In addition to passing a #MeToo-inspired law prohibiting confidentiality clauses regarding sexual misconduct, the legislature also passed...more
How can I support my Muslim colleagues who are fasting during Ramadan? Is it OK to ask them questions? Working with Muslim colleagues over the years, I have been inspired by the discipline and resilience of those who fast...more
After a 3-2 vote along political party lines, the EEOC recently voted to publish its Proposed Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace, which remains open to public comment until November 1, 2023. When the current...more
It's worth a read. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently released a proposed Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace, and it's quite good. Don't let the length intimidate you. If you aren't an...more
Public school districts across the country face an October 1 deadline to certify they do not prevent constitutionally protected prayer — or else they could lose federal funding. The certification is an annual exercise,...more
Dear Littler: I’m an HR representative at an advertising agency based in New York City. We have a question about a religiously vocal employee. Recently she has made her opinions on homosexuality known to her entire...more
Over the last year, our society has navigated COVID-19 and rules concerning vaccination and masking. As a society and on this blog, we have discussed regularly the role religious freedoms play in the work environment—under...more
A Northern District of New York court has permanently enjoined the statewide requirement that employers include a notice of workers’ rights and remedies in their employee handbooks regarding the prohibition on discrimination...more
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a First Amendment free speech and religious freedom case with potential major implications for all public employers. In Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, the Court will...more
Q: Two of my employees are in conflict over one’s display of a star of David in her workspace. Hannah is Jewish. Like many employees, she displays some personal items in her workspace; she has a small Star of David sculpture....more
Is it just me, or has JLo and Shakira’s halftime performance at the Super Bowl received more attention than the game itself? As with so many other issues these days, we are a country divided. Some believe the performance was...more
Enhanced Shared Parental Pay Lower than Enhanced Maternity Pay Not Discriminatory - Precedential Decision by Judiciary or Regulatory Agency - On May 24, 2019, the UK Court of Appeal held that it is not discriminatory...more
Our June update considers recent developments in employment law, including cases on disability discrimination, injury to feelings and unfair dismissal for inappropriate promotion of religion. We also outline other points of...more
The Court of Appeal in the United Kingdom recently held that the dismissal of a nurse for improperly proselytising at work was fair (Kuteh v Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust)....more
In the film Night School, the main character experiences a workplace that mixes religion and the workplace in a way that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) would not approve of....more
The New York City Commission on Human Rights (NYCCHR) released enforcement guidance on Monday, February 18, 2019, defining discrimination based on natural hair and hairstyles as a subset of race discrimination....more
In February 2019, the New York Commission on Human Rights (the “Commission”) issued guidance regarding employment discrimination based upon natural hair or hairstyles. ...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In an EEOC religious discrimination case, a federal court found that “Onionhead” was a religion for purposes of Title VII. The court also found that the EEOC did not fail to meet its Title VII pre-suit...more