Recruiting qualified applicants and hiring top talent have always been time-consuming endeavors that come with constant worry about making a wrong hire. Added to this, the COVID-19 pandemic effectively put a halt to...more
On February 22, 2021, Governor Murphy signed three separate cannabis reform bills into law that formally legalize the use and possession of recreational marijuana in the Garden state: (1) the “New Jersey Cannabis Regularly,...more
You've likely seen the headlines. Online recruiting tools that unfairly screen out women and minorities. Facial recognition tools used in law enforcement that misidentify specific demographic groups. Algorithms that place...more
2/12/2021
/ Algorithms ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Bias ,
Biometric Information ,
Chief Compliance Officers ,
Chief Information Officers (CIO) ,
Clinical Trials ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
FDA Approval ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Life Sciences ,
Popular ,
Recruitment Policies ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Targeted Digital Advertising ,
Webinars
Last summer, we reported on Virginia’s adoption of an “Emergency Temporary Standard for Infection Disease Prevention: SARS-CoV-2 Virus That Causes COVID-19” (the “Temporary Standard”), which made Virginia the first state to...more
The District of Columbia is bracing for a transition. But while employers across the country wait to see what changes the Biden Administration may bring, Washington, D.C. employers should prepare for a drastic and imminent...more
On October 1, 2020, numerous laws in Maryland providing expanded protections for both existing employees and job applicants addressing race and sex discrimination, pay equity, and wage transparency went into effect. As we...more
It's our first #WorkforceWednesday of 2021! The past year tested our resilience, and COVID-19 forced everyone to think creatively and adapt quickly. Nowhere was that seen more clearly than in the workplace.
Workplace Safety...more
1/6/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Business Closures ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cybersecurity ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Furloughs ,
Health and Safety ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Labor Regulations ,
NLRB ,
Paid Leave ,
Personal Information ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Remote Working ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Sick Leave ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Non-compete agreements may all but disappear from the Washington, D.C. employment landscape in 2021. On December 15, 2020, the District of Columbia Council voted 12-0 to approve the Ban on Non-Compete Agreements Amendment...more
As the first wave of COVID-19 vaccinations are being administered across the United States, employers are considering whether to mandate and/or administer the COVID-19 vaccine to employees. On December 16, 2020, the U.S....more
It’s #WorkforceWednesday! This week, the next big challenge for employers—vaccine policy readiness. We also look at how the U.S. Supreme Court might rule on two employee benefits-related issues.
It’s Time to Ready Your...more
11/25/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Interactive Process ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Just one week after ordering new business restrictions to combat the recent surge of COVID-19, Governor Larry Hogan announced further mitigation measures in Maryland that will dial back business operations....more
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the nation, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia all recently have implemented additional mitigation measures that impact business operations. Below is a summary of the...more
Take a deep breath. Now exhale. While the country awaits the results of the presidential race and many others that are still too close to call, the 2020 election made one thing clear: the march toward 50-state legalization of...more
Although cannabis (marijuana) remains an illegal substance under federal law, companies in the cannabis industry are not exempt from complying with federal laws in general. A recent flurry of complaints filed in federal...more
As COVID-19 cases once again surge across the country, Washington, D.C. employers must remember to provide both paid and unpaid leave under the new District of Columbia Coronavirus Support Temporary Amendment Act of 2020...more
While the country remains focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. employers cannot ignore the ongoing opioid epidemic or how it may affect their workforces. On August 5, 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...more
8/11/2020
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) ,
New Guidance ,
Opioid ,
Pain Management ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Substance Abuse
On July 27, 2020, Virginia became the first state in the nation to implement workplace safety and health standards for COVID-19. The Safety and Health Codes Board adopted § 16VAC25-220, an Emergency Temporary Standard for...more
Virginia has become the first state in the nation to implement workplace safety and health standards for COVID-19. On July 15, 2020, the state Safety and Health Codes Board adopted § 16VAC25-220, an “Emergency Temporary...more
The time has come. As of July 1, 2020, almost a year after Washington, DC, started collecting an employer payroll tax to fund the city-run leave program, employees are now eligible to collect benefits....more
In a recent Bloomberg Law article, we reported on legislative developments regulating the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) in employment law decisions. On May 11, 2020, one of the pieces of proposed legislation we...more
July 1, 2020 represents a milestone for Virginia employers. As we previously reported, nearly two dozen new employment laws take effect, including the Virginia Values Act. In addition, all of Virginia enters Phase Three of...more
Virginia may be for lovers, but it no longer loves non-compete agreements. Starting on July 1, 2020, employers may not “enter into, enforce, or threaten to enforce” a non-compete agreement with any “low-wage employee.” As...more
On June 9, 2020, Governor Ralph Northam announced that Northern Virginia and Richmond will join the rest of the state in entering Phase Two on June 12, 2020, taking the next step to reopening the region. Governor Northam’s...more
The employment law landscape in Virginia will undergo a seismic shift effective July 1, 2020. Since April 2020, Governor Ralph Northam has signed roughly two dozen bills into law that will significantly impact employers,...more
6/3/2020
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Gender Identity ,
Governor Northam ,
Human Rights ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Misclassification ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Private Right of Action ,
Sexual Orientation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Webinars ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
On May 27, 2020, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued Order 0202-067, which details the Phase One limited reopening of non-essential businesses in Washington, D.C., to begin on Friday, May 29, 2020. ...more