When employers provide applicants with an accurate salary range for the position the climate of negotiation changes. The question of how much the applicant should be paid now depends less on the applicant’s salary history and more on where they belong within that...
How Much Accommodation Is Reasonable for Religious Employees?
According to Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, it is illegal for employers to discriminate against employees based on religion. The law also requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for employees’ religious requirements when work and worship...
Is It Legal to Have ‘Gender Appropriate’ Dress Codes?
If you follow the news in employment law, you may have heard about a recent finding by the the Washington State Commission on Human Rights that Alaska Airlines discriminated when it enforced a gender-based dress code for flight attendants. Although that decision is...
Exit Interviews Can Help Companies Improve Hiring and Retention
Unprecedented numbers of employees are leaving for greener pastures, which means that hiring and retaining staff in today’s economy is an increasingly fundamental and vexing challenge for employers in various industries. As workers head for the exits, it is wise for...
When Investigators Can Be Liable for Damages
Larry Nassar sexually assaulted hundreds of girls and women during his time as a staff doctor for the U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team, and while working for Michigan State. Nassar pled guilty in 2017 and will spend decades in prison. The subsequent civil trial involving...
How to Terminate an Employee
The pandemic has prompted many employees to reevaluate their work-life balance and career goals, leading to “The Great Resignation.” The current U.S. unemployment rate is 3.6% and there are myriad factors causing a labor shortage. Despite these challenges, employers...
Handling Whistleblowers in the Post-Pandemic Workplace
Some changes caused by the pandemic were predictable, but others have been unforeseen. Many were likely surprised in 2020 when there was a 35% increase in tips sent to the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). These tips, complaints, and referrals led to hundreds of...
A Jury Awarded $450K to Man Who Sued Former Employer Over Unwanted Birthday Celebration
For most, birthdays are a time of celebration, reflection, and cake. Many employers get into the act, using employees’ birthdates to mark the occasion with an office gathering. For one Kentucky man, an unwelcome office-birthday celebration led to a series of...
Sikhs Sue Marine Corps Over Religious Discrimination
Religious freedom is a fundamental human right, the first among rights guaranteed by the Constitution. It means that everyone in the United States has the right to practice their own religion, or no religion. We are free to live by religious tenets, adhere to...
Companies Can No Longer Use Arbitration for Harassment and Assault Cases
Any partisan bill is newsworthy in today's political landscape. Still, President Joe Biden made news by signing the bipartisan Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 on March 3, 2022. This law ends companies' use of arbitration...