On June 3, 2019, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Fort Bend County, Texas v. Davis, No. 18-525, that while employees seeking to bring claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”) have a mandatory obligation to file a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) before filing
Are You Ready for Your Summer Interns?
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and kids everywhere are counting down the days until summer vacation begins. For many employers, the change in the season brings another big shift: the arrival of summer interns.
Internship programs are great for employers and interns alike – interns gain experience, training, and exposure to
Tips for drafting enforceable arbitration agreements (Part 2)
Arbitration agreements with employees are a hot topic – and continue to make headlines. As we covered in Part 1 of this blog series, there are many practical and legal considerations involved in deciding whether your business should require employees to arbitrate employment-related disputes (as opposed to resolving them in court). But once you
Should You Require Employees to Sign Arbitration Agreements? (Part 1)
As we covered last year, the United States Supreme Court held in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis that employment contracts can legally bar employees from collective arbitration (and require instead individualized proceedings). The Supreme Court found that a provision forbidding collective arbitration violated neither the Federal Arbitration Act nor the National Labor Relations Act. This
Why Should You Be Thinking About Your Employees’ Workplace Privacy?
Do you monitor your employees using technology? Would you consider making them wear wristbands or other devices capturing their every move?
This spring, news spread that Amazon had been granted two patents for a new wristband that appeared to be designed to do just that for its warehouse and fulfillment staff. The patents indicated that
Falling Unemployment Rates for Disabled Adults May Signal More Labor Market Growth
On September 7, 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics announced the most recent employment numbers for the United States. As of August, total payroll employment had increased by 201,000, and the unemployment rate remained at 3.9%. The positive trend has also impacted an often-overlooked category of potential employees: disabled adults of
Recent Developments in Pay Equity: Real Reactions, Not Just Headlines
Pay equity is a hot topic – and not just in employment and HR circles. Both inside and outside of the courts, the issue has gained national attention and is spurring legislators in states across the country to act. Recent developments are a timely reminder to all employers to start thinking proactively about pay equity
You’re Fired! The Right (and Wrong) Ways to Fire an Employee
When President Trump fired then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson earlier this month, he did it in one of the most public ways possible: on Twitter. The kicker? He had not told Tillerson, who was traveling in Africa at the time, about the decision in person before tweeting it. (Although White House officials have stated
Should You Offer Your Employees “Pawternity” Leave?
Believe it or not, there’s a growing trend among some employers to offer a new benefit: “pawternity leave,” or leave for new pet owners. Offerings range from a few days of leave up to a week or more, and might come in addition to other pet-related benefits, such as pet insurance, pet adoption consulting, bereavement