"There's the assumption that once everybody went separately and you were protected in your own home, that you wouldn't see the same level of harassment," says Ellen Pao, a tech investor and leading diversity advocate in the tech field. "It turned out that actually...
Employment Issues For Employers
Employment Issues For Employers
Lessons Learned from Recent Maryland Case: How Not to Respond to an Employee’s Discrimination Complaint
In Wethje v. CACI-ISS, Inc, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland recently ruled in favor of a white employee who brought a reverse race discrimination claim. In March 2017, her African American subordinate complained that the Plaintiff over-assigned...
Restaurant Revitalization Grant Program Offers Much Need Assistance to Struggling Restaurants
As we previously blogged, the American Rescue Plan was signed into law on March 11, 2021. In addition to making important changes to the FFCRA, the American Rescue Plan also established the “Restaurant Revitalization Grant” (RRG) program. Under the RRG program,...
New Law Makes Important Changes to FFCRA
As we previously blogged, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) obligated certain employers to provide their employees with paid sick leave and/or paid FMLA leave due to COVID-19. When these obligations expired December 31, 2020, employers who opted to...
Federal Court Rules that Ban on “Black Lives Matter” Masks Not a Violation of Title VII
As we previously blogged, political speech in the workplace can be a tricky issue, and employers and employees should both be aware of when political expression is, and is not, acceptable at work. Recently, a federal court in Massachusetts dismissed a lawsuit brought...
New PPP Rules for Sole Proprietors and Independent Contractors
The Biden Administration recently announced that it has changed how the Small Business Administration (SBA) will calculate the size of PPP loans for sole proprietors and independent contractors. Beginning in March, the SBA will switch to a new formula, which will...
Paycheck Protection Program: Round Two
As we previously blogged, Congress established the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This program was designed to help businesses negatively affected by COVID-19 continue to pay their employees. ...
Could Your Company’s Dress Code Be Considered Discriminatory?
Employee dress codes are usually well intentioned. They are often meant to promote harmony among employees as well as to promote a certain appearance for the company. Sometimes, however, a company’s dress code ends up treating people unequally. When it does, it could...
The Do’s and Don’ts of Political Expression: A Guide for Employers and Employees
With the inauguration of Joe Biden, many employees are now publicly expressing their views on the new President – both positive and negative. This guide will help employees know what sort of protections they have, as well as help employers know when it’s appropriate...
New Litigation Sheds Light on Lingering WARN Act Questions
At the beginning of the pandemic, we blogged about the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which requires employers to give advance notice to employees before they are terminated, laid off, or have their hours reduced. In our previous blog, we...