Home for the holidays (or not?): Navigating employee holiday travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic
Latest from The Labor Dish
WORK from home or don’t work at all: telecommuting in the age of COVID-19
Not so long ago, telecommuting or “working from home” was just a growing employment practice – often a desirable employee perk used to attract top-talent (especially when unemployment rates were at historic lows). As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, however, many companies, including those that may have opposed remote working in the past, have been forced to embrace such arrangements and come to terms with the legal complexities—as well as opportunities—surrounding…
Annual Employment Law Quiz
Introduction:
Dear clients and friends,
We just finished another year, which means it’s time once again for our yearly global employment law quiz. Have you kept up to date with the latest and zaniest in global employment laws? Take our quiz to find out. And even if you don’t know the answers, you can dazzle your friends and family with your newly acquired knowledge. Good luck!
And if you missed previous years’ quizzes (or…
“I Love My Hair” – But Does Corporate America?
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
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…
No Harm, No Foul? Not So, Under Illinois Biometric Privacy Law
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…
MeToo and Merger Agreements
#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…
ABC… Easy as 1,2,3
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…
Helping Employers Weather the Storm, but Maybe Not House Pets and Home Invaders: Addressing Health and Safety Issues for Remote Employees
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…
#MeToo and Its Impact on Global Investigations
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…