The subject of many songs, skits, and social movements, hair discrimination has become a burning issue across the country. From Sesame Street to India Arie, there have been calls to eradicate the social stigma surrounding natural hair for decades. But now, with recent legislation, politicians are starting to follow these trends. They are going from quietly ignoring anti-natural hair practices to staunchly standing against them. Especially for Black/African American and Latinx communities, this conversation is…

When Fantasy Football Impacts the Reality of the Workplace Many players are deep into fantasy football season, so the question is – are you having fun yet?  Obviously not if you relied upon Antonio Brown or Ben Rothlisberger to carry you to glory, but many supervisors are beginning to feel the effects fantasy football can have on the workplace.  Let’s talk about some of those here: Goodbye Monday Morning! Needless to say, productivity is not…

Dozens of employment class actions have been filed against employers with operations in Illinois for alleged violations of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).  Those suits relate primarily to the failure to provide required notice to employees and obtain their consent in connection with the collection and use of employee fingerprints for timekeeping systems.  Other states, such as New York, also prohibit the fingerprinting of individuals as a condition of securing employment or continuing…

#TimesUp For Your Representations and Warranties In late 2017 and throughout 2018, the world watched the careers of several top executives topple.  Once considered titans of their industry, these individuals were ensnared by allegations of sexual harassment.  In their wake, the #MeToo movement arose and has permanently shifted public sentiment and empowered alleged victims to come forward in droves.  For fiscal year 2018, the EEOC reported a 13.6 percent increase in sexual harassment charges and…

            The title may be what every little kid learns (and an underappreciated classic by the Jackson 5), but per usual California is different.  Many California workers may find their employment status shift as a result of a recent decision by the California Supreme Court which significantly expanded the universe of workers likely classified as employees instead of independent contractors.  This change may leave some workers toe-tapping and singing “do, re, mi;” however, others may…

The Labor Dish recently addressed the rapid rise of remote working arrangements amongst U.S. employees.  Although “OUT OF SIGHT, BUT NOT OUT OF MIND” touched on the many benefits that come from such arrangements, it also detailed various wage and hour concerns unique to employees working from home, and how employers should begin to navigate these issues.  Just getting payroll in order, however, will not solve all the problems facing employers with telecommuting…

Introduction              The #MeToo movement is a worldwide phenomenon.  Since October 2017, the hashtag has trended in at least 85 countries, and in dozens of languages—for example, #YoTambien in Spanish, #MoiAussi or #BalanceTonPorc in French, #QuellaVoltaChe in Italian, #Ятоже in Russian, גםאנחנו# in Hebrew, and أنا_كمان# in Arabic.              As the #MeToo movement gains momentum, global employers must recognize that the likely increase in complaints won’t be limited to the US,[1] given that about two-thirds…