News & Analysis as of August 29, 2025

Employee Rights

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Read guidance, analysis, and updates on the myriad issues arising from the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Updated hourly every day, the insights published here are written by leading lawyers and law firms helping to make sense of insurance, employment, tax, securities, M&A, risk management, and every other consideration touched by this crisis. Follow the channel for a daily email brief of the latest and best updates. less -

End of an Era: New York’s COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Has Ended

Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC on 8/26/2025

After more than five years, New York State’s pioneering COVID-19 paid sick leave law officially came to an end on July 31, 2025....more

Needle-less Dispute? BC Court Finds That Unpaid Leave Due to Non-Compliance Did Not Amount to Constructive Dismissal

Stikeman Elliott LLP on 8/12/2025

The COVID-19 litigation lag continues to play out in Canadian courts; and employers are starting to get some clarity on some of the key workplace issues that arose during the pandemic. In Clark v. City of Prince George,...more

Wage and Hour Around the Corner: From Zoom to Room Staying on Solid Legal Grounds with a Remote Staff or an Office Return

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on 4/11/2025

The rules governing the employment relationship are always changing. Laws creating new employer obligations, technology solutions making work more efficient and more complicated, and rules governing the resolution of disputes...more

UK Labour Government Proposes the Right to ‘Switch Off’

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,... on 9/10/2024

The United Kingdom continues to see rapid growth in the number of workplaces adopting remote and hybrid work arrangements, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although this new type of work offers many...more

California's New Employment Laws: Get Ready for 2024

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP on 10/31/2023

Governor Newsom signed into law a plethora of bills that significantly expand the rights of employees in California, although notably vetoing a bill that would have prohibited caste discrimination. Most of the new laws take...more

Workplace Law Update: 22 Essential Items on Your August To-Do List

Fisher Phillips on 8/7/2023

It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law, especially since the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace. In order to ensure you stay on top of the latest changes and have an action plan...more

The 9 Things Colorado Employers Should Do After Lawmakers Pass Batch of New Workplace Laws

Fisher Phillips on 6/22/2023

The Colorado legislature has been busy this season passing new employment laws, adding to your compliance obligations in a big way. We reviewed the key workplace laws that Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed into effect and...more

Eyes on Sacramento: California Legislative Update

Payne & Fears on 9/23/2022

Introducing: the California Civil Rights Department No, this is not a new government agency. Rather, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) was rebranded as the Civil Rights Department, or CRD, to more...more

Top 10 List – Keep Your Eyes on These California Employment Bills on Governor Newsom’s Desk

Fisher Phillips on 9/2/2022

Eight months of legislative wrangling and dealmaking have come to an end as the California Legislature just wrapped up work for the year – and now employers across the Golden State turn their eyes to the governor’s office to...more

Ontario, Canada: Another Arbitration Decision Upholds Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy

Littler on 3/25/2022

In Unifor Local 973 v Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Limited, 2022 CanLII 20322, Arbitrator Mark Wright made another contribution to the “weight of authority” in Ontario labour arbitration awards pertaining to mandatory COVID-19...more

Canada: Arbitrator Finds Termination Consequences of Long-Term Care Home’s Mandatory Vaccination Policy Violated Collective...

Littler on 2/24/2022

In Chartwell Housing REIT v. Healthcare, Office and Professional Employees Union, Local 2220, 2022CanLII 6832 (ON LA) (Chartwell), Arbitrator Gail Misra considered a provision in a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy that...more

Enforceability of Vaccination Policies Boosted by Recent Arbitration Decision

Stikeman Elliott LLP on 2/22/2022

Since we last wrote on the topic of COVID-19 vaccination policies, another vaccination policy was upheld at arbitration, this time, requiring employees to receive a third “booster” shot against COVID-19. ...more

Mandatory Vaccines: Another Policy Upheld in Ontario

Stikeman Elliott LLP on 1/21/2022

In Bunge Hamilton Canada, Hamilton, Ontario v. United Food and Commercial Workers Canada, Local 175, the arbitrator found that a mandatory vaccination policy requiring unvaccinated unionized employees to be placed on unpaid...more

Ontario, Canada: Another Arbitrator Upholds a Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy

Littler on 1/20/2022

In Bunge Hamilton Canada, Hamilton, Ontario v. United Food and Commercial Workers Canada, Local 175 (Bunge), Arbitrator Robert J. Herman dismissed a union grievance challenging the employer’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination...more

Kansas Governor Signs Bill Limiting Workplace Vaccine Mandates

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,... on 12/6/2021

Seeking “compromise” and following in the footsteps of other governors, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed House Bill (HB) No. 2001 into law on November 23, 2021, broadening exemptions from employer COVID-19 vaccine mandates,...more

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly Signs New Law Regarding Employer COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement Exemptions and Eligibility for Unemployment...

Lathrop GPM on 11/29/2021

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has signed into law HB 2001, which will impact employers that require their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The new law protects the rights of employees to seek exemptions from...more

Portugal Responds to Work from Home by Prohibiting Bosses from Texting After-Hours

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP on 11/16/2021

On November 5, 2021, in response to a rise in work from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Portuguese parliament passed a law that prohibits employers from contacting employees outside of work hours. Employers who...more

Vaccination and fundamental rights of employees

Hogan Lovells on 10/27/2021

Several employers ask employees to work from home if they cannot show a valid QR. The question is whether this is allowed? In Several employers ask employees to work from home if they cannot show a valid QR. The question is...more

Balancing the Vaccination Equation: Frequently Asked Questions About COVID-19 Vaccines in the Workplace

Pullman & Comley, LLC on 9/27/2021

Q1: What Does It Mean to Be “Fully Vaccinated”? A1: According to the CDC, an individual is considered “fully vaccinated” fourteen (14) days after receiving the second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna...more

Biden plans to mandate COVID vaccine for private employers

Poyner Spruill LLP on 9/16/2021

On Thursday, September 9, 2021, President Biden announced his plan to mandate private employers with 100 or more employees require all their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19....more

New Cook County Ordinance Requires Vaccination Pay for Employees

Quarles & Brady LLP on 9/7/2021

As more employers consider mandatory COVID-19 vaccination programs, companies with Illinois employees should keep in mind a new Cook County ordinance that requires paid time off, or paying an employee, for time spent getting...more

Requiring Proof of Vaccination? What You Need to Know.

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck on 8/26/2021

In connection with the recent surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant, many businesses have begun to require that employees—and sometimes contractors, volunteers and patrons—provide proof of vaccination. This may...more

Canada: British Columbia Office of the Human Rights Commissioner Provides Guidance to Employers on Vaccination Status Policies

Littler on 8/17/2021

British Columbia’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner (BCOHRC) recently released A human rights approach to proof of vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic (Guidance), which offers general advice on how employers and...more

Vaccinations and Masks in Dealerships: What’s Old is New Again

Fisher Phillips on 8/3/2021

The CDC’s recent recommendation that people in geographic areas with substantial or high COVID transmission rates wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, has added a new wrinkle in the already challenging world...more

Resolving Workplace Vaccination and Mask Conflicts: 5 FAQS as Workplaces Reopen

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,... on 7/23/2021

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters a new phase in the United States and employees return to the workplace, some employers may need to face controversial issues regarding vaccinated and unvaccinated employees. Below are some...more

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Coronavirus/COVID-19 › Employment Policies › Employee Rights

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