When did canned web-based presentations become the norm for harassment, discrimination and other inappropriate workplace conduct training? Companies who rely on pre-prepared, generic materials often find those trainings for HR, management, supervisors and employees to be ineffective, particularly now that #MeToo is a part of our vocabulary. For the employer who has the goal of efficient and effective HR trainings, it is helpful to look to best teaching practices. Educators know that teaching a lesson…

It has been a decade since the United States Department of Labor (DOL) made any changes to the FMLA regulations, but we now have an indication that the DOL is at least willing to consider issuing new regulations at some point in the next few years. The United States Office of Management and Budget announced that, by April 2020, the DOL will “solicit comments on ways to improve its regulations under the FMLA to: (a)…

Kentucky recently enacted the Pregnant Workers Act, which amends the Kentucky Civil Rights Act to provide accommodations to pregnant and lactating employees. The law goes into effect on June 27, 2019. Below are the important implications of the Pregnant Workers Act, which will affect employers that operate or maintain business locations in Kentucky. Who does the law cover? Covered employers are those that employ 15 or more persons during 20 or more calendar weeks…

On July 1, 2019, the minimum wage will increase in several locations throughout the country. While the federal minimum wage has remained $7.25 per hour since July 2009, many states, cities and counties have adopted their own minimum wage laws which provide for a higher rate. In areas where minimum wage laws overlap, employees are entitled to receive the highest applicable rate. The following minimum wage increases will become effective July 1, 2019:   California…

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled recently that Title VII’s administrative exhaustion requirement – whereby an employee must file a claim with the EEOC prior to filing a lawsuit – is not a jurisdictional rule. This means that the employee’s failure to file a charge does not automatically mean the case cannot go to court. Instead, the employer must raise the “failure to file” issue as an affirmative defense and do so in a timely fashion.…

This fall the Supreme Court will hear the case of EEOC v. R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, in which it will decide whether Title VII prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity. The case is on appeal from a 2018 decision of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.  EEOC v. R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes. In Harris Funeral Homes, a former employee of a funeral home was terminated after she…