Avoid a seasonal faux pas!
Dear Miss Mannerly:
My office is business casual -- until June. Even though we don't have a lax summer dress code, many of our employees just "assume" they can dress like hooligans. We have all...more
Most charges were down, but sex harassment, LGBT charges were up.
On Wednesday, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released its charge-filing statistics for fiscal year 2018, which ran from October 1, 2017, through...more
A fun way to while away your time until the weekend officially arrives.
How much do you know about the basics of HR law? Take our quiz and find out! The usual rules apply: The answers immediately follow the questions, and I...more
A good reason to swear off gossiping at work.
In a very interesting decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for my Fourth Circuit, a three-judge panel recently held that false rumors that a successful woman "slept her way to...more
And ready to answer all of your workplace romance questions.
NOTE FROM ROBIN: Last year, in honor of Valentine's Day, we had a guest post by advice columnist Dr. Loveless. I am delighted to announce that the "Doctor is in...more
Happy holidays, with an employment law twist.
1-Macy’s parade Santa Claus was fired and replaced by Kris Kringle after he drank too much and got tangled up in his whip. The original Miracle on 34th Street was made in 1947,...more
Better to be prudent with everybody.
An article this week in Bloomberg said that men on Wall Street were getting the message about #MeToo.
But the message wasn't quite what you might expect. Rather than "Avoid harassment at...more
Follow these rules, and you can't go wrong!
A recent survey indicated that employers were cutting back on holiday parties in 2018.
The consulting firm that conducted the survey speculated that #MeToo might be the reason...more
How dare they defend themselves!
Apparently, public relations and Human Resources professionals, and lawyers, should not represent employers and accused individuals in matters related to sexual harassment. And women...more
How quickly things change!
Late last week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released preliminary numbers on sexual harassment for Fiscal Year 2018, which ended September 30. Here is what the agency says:-...more
If the "humble boss" is best, who's the worst?
Sue Shellenbarger, the work and family columnist for The Wall Street Journal, wrote this week that the "in" characteristic for leaders right now is humility. (Paid subscription...more
Non-partisan to the best of my ability.
I've held off as long as I could, but here are some of my thoughts about the controversy surrounding Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Although I have strong personal opinions, I'm not interested...more
The deadline for employers to comply with New York State’s new sexual harassment training requirement has been pushed out to October 9, 2019. The original deadline was January 1, 2019.
However, employers with employees in...more
You have an employee, Daisy, who is honest as the day is long, but very sensitive. You find out that she reported you to Human Resources because you told her (in a nice, appropriate way) that you liked the dress she was...more
Act fast! Comments are due September 12, and a policy has to be adopted October 9.
As our colleague Stephen Stecker has previously reported, New York State has enacted new sexual harassment policy and training requirements...more
Maybe so - but at the state level.
Earlier this summer, Victoria Lipnic, acting chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, reported that the EEOC had not seen a surge in charges alleging sexual harassment since...more
Yesterday, Gov. John Carney (D) of Delaware signed into law H.B. 360, which provides more protections related to sexual harassment under the Delaware Discrimination in Employment Act.
The DDEA currently prohibits...more
It's probably coming, but it's not here yet.
The EEOC's Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace met this week. According to the press release of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, not much...more
In poetry, because we are classy here.
Sweet Deal: a haiku
(Roseanne Barr)
I felt sorry for the cast
But not any more.
$4.5 mil for nothing!...more
How much do you really know, from an HR standpoint?
It's time for another employment law quiz! I wanted to do one in honor of Mother's Day, but I couldn't top the one I did last year. (If you missed it then, here's the...more
There are probably worse ideas, but I can't think of any right now.
Legislation is pending in Minnesota (House File 4459) that would expressly remove the "severe or pervasive" requirement for a sexual harassment claim under...more
Coming soon to a nation near you.
New York State and New York City have enacted laws that require employers to provide sexual harassment training, joining California, Connecticut, and Maine....more
This Paneb makes Harvey Weinstein look like a choirboy.
An ancient Egyptian papyrus details allegations against Paneb, who among many other crimes, allegedly sexually harassed (to put it mildly) women in roughly 1200 B.C....more
The classic employment law/HR mistakes will always be with us. But are you ignoring these newer issues, hoping they're just flashes in the pan? Don't be an April fool! 1. Reassessment of marijuana testing in the workplace. If...more
Don't these columnists read the papers?
The advice columnists had two big blunders this week on the topic of workplace sexual harassment....more