Last week the United States Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision ending a four-decade precedent which had allowed universities and colleges to consider the race of applicants during the admissions process. What, if anything,...more
7/3/2023
/ Bias ,
College Admissions ,
Colleges ,
Discrimination ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Race Relations ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
State Labor Laws ,
Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College ,
Title VII ,
Universities
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”)...more
The EEOC has issued a revised Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal poster (Revised 10/20). The poster is available here and should be posted as soon as possible. This document is revised and should replace...more
While in March of 2020, I believe many individuals hoped that by July of 2022 we would no longer be concerned with COVID-19 Policies, such, unfortunately, is not the case. Yesterday, the EEOC updated its long-standing...more
7/15/2022
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EEO ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Guidance Update ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
Screening Procedures ,
Virus Testing
Last week, the EEOC provided updated COVID-19 guidance to employers on vaccines and vaccine incentives in the employment realm. One area, however, in which the agencies has been silent is in the public accommodation space and...more
6/7/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Exceptions ,
GINA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Title II ,
Title III ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations
As flu season approaches, employers are searching for answers on how to deal with viruses spreading throughout the workplace. The question is, “Can I mandate employees receive the flu vaccine?” Are there standards in place?...more
10/5/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Influenza ,
NLRA ,
Right to Privacy ,
Title VII ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Safety
OSHA has published Guidance on Returning to Work to assist employers in understanding their obligations under OSHA as they continue the process of re-opening and returning employees to work. Employers should review this...more
6/22/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Pre-Employment Health Screenings ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
This is the second post in a 12-part series on how companies can show true support for the Black Lives Matter movement by changing company policies and practices. The focus of this post is to understand the role that a...more
On April 23, 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published guidance in response to this question and the agency’s answer was yes—“an employer may choose to administer COVID-19 testing to employees before...more
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, business—and hiring—must go on. As the EEOC continues to update its guidance regarding employment practices during the pandemic, here are common questions regarding how to implement...more
Q: I am concerned about employees coming to work with a fever—can I test employees’ temperatures before allowing them to work to avoid spreading the coronavirus?
Verrill’s View: Maybe—but there are many factors to consider....more
3/19/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Examinations ,
NLRA ,
OSHA ,
Virus Testing ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
The last decade has brought with it a significant increase in the number of claims stemming from allegations of discrimination or retaliation as a result of mental health conditions. While we often see an increase in anxiety...more
12/19/2019
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Mental Health ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Retaliation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workers' Compensation Claim
Yesterday, September 11, 2019, the EEOC announced that it will not seek to renew collection of EEO-1 Component 2 Data for 2019, 2020, and 2021. This does not impact employer’s current EEO-1 obligations to file Component 2...more
Because of how often we hear from clients regarding requests for “emotional support” animals to accompany employees to work, we figured a refresher on how to handle these types of situations would be appreciated. While we do...more
We talk a lot about the importance of diversity in the workforce: Having a diverse group of employees. The ability to choose from a diverse group of applicants. Making a job attractive to diverse candidates. While some...more
Recent studies reveal that 0.4 percent of Americans (which is between 1 and 1.5 million) identify as Wicca of Pagan, which is more than the people who identify as Presbyterian. What does this mean to you? Well next month, if...more
In this episode of HR Law 101: Understanding the HR Basics, Verrill Dana labor and employment attorney Tawny Alvarez discusses the obligations that employers have under federal law to provide a non-discriminatory environment...more