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Tracey Diamond counsels clients on workplace issues, provides harassment training, conducts internal investigations, drafts policies and procedures, negotiates employment and severance agreements, advises on independent contractor, FMLA and ADA compliance issues, and partners with clients to structure their workforce in the most efficient and effective way possible.

George Costanza was the master at “quiet quitting” — the latest term for employees who do the bare minimum. Have your employees joined this trend? Is production down in the office? Partners Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs sit down with Paradies Lagardere litigation and compliance attorney Rebecca Silk to talk about the popular TV series Seinfeld and the quiet quitting trend. Hear all this and more in Episode 12 of the Hiring to Firing Podcast!

Continue Reading The Costanza Effect: What the TV Series Seinfeld Teaches Us About Quiet Quitting

What could possibly go wrong with firing employees for having “bad energy” or not being “a good fit?” Join Partners Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs as they sit down with Fulton Bank Director of Organizational Effectiveness Allison Snyder to talk about the Apple TV+ series WeCrashed and the perils of these types of firings — including what happens when there’s a lack of professionalism and ethics in the workplace. Hear all this and more in Episode 11 of the Hiring to Firing Podcast!

Continue Reading Crashing and Burning: What Companies Can Learn From the Apple TV+ Series WeCrashed

Published in Law360 on January 20, 2023. © Copyright 2023, Portfolio Media, Inc., publisher of Law360. Reprinted here with permission.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden signed into law the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act,[1] which aims to protect U.S. intellectual property by imposing sanctions on companies and individuals involved in trade secrets theft.

Continue Reading Water Cooler Talk: Trade Secret Lessons From ‘Severance’

Q: Does the Speak Out Act affect employer nondisclosure and nondisparagement agreements?

A: Nearly five months after Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) first introduced the bipartisan Speak Out Act, President Joe Biden signed it into law on December 7, 2022. The Speak Out Act bars judicial enforcement of nondisclosure and nondisparagement clauses concerning sexual assault and sexual harassment allegations if entered into “before the dispute arises.” This ensures that “victims and survivors have the freedom to report and publicly disclose their abuse,” while still allowing employers to use nondisclosure and nondisparagement clauses in resolving a dispute once it has arisen.

Continue Reading Biden’s “Speak Out Act” Bars Use of Nondisclosure and Nondisparagement Agreements to Restrict Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Allegations

How does a company keep its trade secrets secret? What can companies do to protect their confidential information? In Episode 10 of the Hiring to Firing Podcast, Troutman Pepper Partners Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs sat down with Tangibly CEO Tim Londergan and Troutman Pepper Partner Will Taylor to discuss the hit TV show Severance and how it relates to best practices in dealing with trade secret theft and protecting confidential information. Tune in for a lively discussion!

Continue Reading What Can the Show Severance Teach Us About Trade Secrets?

Should you be friends with your coworkers outside of work? What should employers consider when they learn about a relationship outside of the workplace? In Episode 9 of the Hiring to Firing Podcast, Troutman Pepper Partners Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs sit down with Matt Leeth, executive vice president of legal affairs at Jushi Holdings, Inc., to discuss an episode of the TV series The Office, and best practices in dealing with relationships outside of the workplace. Tune in for a lively discussion!

Continue Reading What Can the TV Series The Office Teach Us About Friendships at Work?

Q. How do I fight antisemitism in the workplace?

A. The recent headlines involving Ye, Kyrie Irving, Dave Chappelle, and others are just the latest in a string of highly disturbing antisemitic statements and incidents. In 2021, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recorded 2,717 antisemitic incidents throughout the United States — a 34% increase from 2020 and the highest number on record since ADL first began tracking antisemitic occurrences in 1979. As many as 1,496 antisemitic acts have been reported in this calendar year alone, ranging from the distribution of antisemitic propaganda to physical attacks against Jewish individuals to bomb threats.

Continue Reading Combatting an Increase in Workplace Antisemitism

What should employers do when they learn about harassment in the workplace? In Episode 8 of the Hiring to Firing Podcast, Troutman Pepper Partners Tracey Diamond and Leah Katz sit down with Sarah Goncher, deputy general counsel of operations for a regional health care provider, to discuss the TV series Succession and best practices in dealing with workplace harassment. Tune in for a lively discussion!

Continue Reading What Can the TV Series Succession Teach Us About Harassment?

How do office romances affect the workplace? What should employers consider when they learn of an office romance? In Episode 7 of the Hiring to Firing Podcast, Troutman Pepper Partners Tracey Diamond and Evan Gibbs sit down with Michelle Rice, senior corporate counsel, labor and employment at Yelp, to discuss the movie The Hating Game and best practices in dealing with office romances. Tune in for a lively discussion!

Continue Reading What Can the Movie The Hating Game Teach Us About Office Romances?

What steps should an employer take to terminate an employee properly? What is the best way to communicate the termination decision? In Episode 6 of the Hiring to Firing Podcast, Troutman Pepper Partner Tracey Diamond and Associate Brian Ellixson sit down with Barry Thrutchley, vice president of human resources at Puratos Corporation, to discuss the movie Up In The Air and best practices in conducting terminations. Tune in to hear a lively discussion about the “right” way to deliver bad news.

Continue Reading What Can Up In The Air Teach Us About the “Best” Way to Terminate an Employee?