As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: With President-Elect Biden's inauguration next week, and the Democrats taking a narrow majority in both houses of Congress, we’re likely to see shifts in policy at the agencies that regulate employment. Attorney Robert O'Hara discusses what we're likely to see coming out of the EEOC in the near term, and how the change in party control could affect the agency moving forward.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: President-Elect Biden has chosen Marty Walsh to serve as Labor Secretary in his administration. Walsh is Boston’s mayor and a former top union leader. Attorney David Garland tells us more.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: The past year tested our resilience, and COVID-19 forced everyone to think creatively and adapt quickly. Nowhere was that seen more clearly than in the workplace. See our video featuring attorneys Brian Cesaratto, Denise Dadika, Nathaniel Glasser, RyAnn McKay Hooper, Shawndra Jones, Cassandra Labbees, Robert O'Hara, and George Carroll Whipple.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: This week, Congress finally passes a COVID-19 relief bill as employers make longer-term plans for vaccination programs and return to work.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: Employers considering mandatory COVID-19 vaccination programs need to address challenges. For example, how will your company handle reasonable accommodations or the potential risk of liability for health problems caused by employer-mandated vaccines? Read more.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: The Department of Labor will look very different under President-Elect Biden from how it did under President Trump, and the changes could come in the early days of Biden’s presidency. Attorney Paul DeCamp tells us more.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: This week, we look at a new COVID-19 quarantine timeline and stricter workplace safety regulations in California.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: Employers fear that the COVID-19 pandemic could undo recent progress towards workforce equity, with women and caregivers leaving the workforce in droves. Flexible time off, remote work policies, and employee benefits, like on-site child care, are just a few options employers can deploy to retain female talent. Learn more about the legal issues.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: This week, federal contractors receive guidance on diversity training, while many employers are committing to diversity and inclusion anew with updated plans and time off to vote.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: While some might expect U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett to be a pro-employer judge, her record on labor and employment decisions could tell a different story. Attorney David Garland discusses Judge Barrett’s record and what it could mean for employers should she be confirmed to the High Court. Read more about Judge Barrett’s record (subscription required).
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: As the uncertainty with the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many employers are considering extended or permanent work-from-home (WFH) models. Attorneys Brian G. Cesaratto and Shawndra G. Jones share some tips for employers on cybersecurity and other issues to consider when implementing extended WFH models.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: California provides a detailed COVID-19 employer playbook, and a federal judge vacated parts of the Department of Labor’s Families First Coronavirus Response Act rule.
Featured in #WorkforceWednesday: This week, Virginia became the first state to issue workplace safety standards, but with guidance still varying widely, many nationwide businesses have begun requiring masks.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: The latest FAQs from OSHA recommend wearing face masks, among other suggestions, for employees returning to work. Attorney Robert J. O'Hara discusses the significance of OSHA’s decision to issue recommendations, rather than guidance, and how rules on face masks in the office may differ at the state and local levels.
As featured on #WorkforceWednesday: This week, we finally have some guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and big employment law changes in Virginia go into effect.
Featured in #WorkforceWednesday: Attorney Denise Dadika examines the unique challenges health care employers face as they ramp business back up and reopen for both patients and employees.
Featured in #WorkforceWednesday: As businesses across the United States open up, workers may increasingly turn to unions to help support their safety. Employers should take steps to properly prepare for this resurgence in union activity. Attorney RyAnn Hooper explains more.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: This week, we saw a landmark employment law decision and received clarifications on return-to-work issues involving older workers.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: Mobile technologies, including contact tracing and screening apps, will help safely bring employees back to work. However, there are a range of employment law and privacy concerns to consider before implementing these technologies. Attorneys Adam S. Forman and Karen Mandelbaum tell us more. You can also read more in a recent Law360 article.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: To support employee mental health, employers have important tools available, such as telemental health benefits, vacation, leave, and the interactive accommodation process. Watch for a few quick tips.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: One way employers can support employee mental health in today’s environment is ensuring that their benefits offerings include telemental health services. Attorneys Cassandra Labbees and Amy Lerman tell us more about telemental health and evaluating your benefits plans.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: As employers continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, many executives are taking pay cuts or forgoing pay to help businesses stay afloat. This is affecting executive contracts and compensation packages, and could result in significant changes in the future. Attorneys Gretchen Harders and Rina Fujii tell us more.
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: The COVID-19 pandemic has created a sudden imbalance in the labor market. While many employers are implementing layoffs or furloughs, other “essential” businesses are searching for additional employees to meet demand. Attorneys Nathaniel Glasser and Ian Carleton Schaefer discuss how employers can use creative approaches to address this imbalance. Read more about the strategies for employers (subscription required).
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: With all the challenges businesses are facing, it is hard to stay focused on data security. Hackers see the newly remote workforce as an opportunity, and phishing attacks are on the rise. Employers can fight back in a few ways:
- Educate employees.
- Update training materials and work-from-home policies.
- Get security patches to employee devices quickly.
- Update your data breach response plan and communicate it.
- Remind your employees to help keep data secure by password-protecting devices with strong passwords and protecting sensitive ...
As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: Last week, Congress passed and President Trump signed the CARES Act, a $2+ trillion stimulus law, which is the largest stimulus in U.S. history. Attorney Paul DeCamp discusses how this law could benefit certain employers during this unprecedented time in the following video interview.
Video: YouTube, Vimeo, MP4, Instagram.
Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Overcast, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher.
Following are the top stories featured in this week's #WorkforceWednesday, from Employment Law This Week:
Employee Travel and the Coronavirus
The threat of COVID-19 is growing, and U.S. companies are on high alert. International travel by employees is an area of particular concern to employers. For more, check out our resource center at https://www.ebglaw.com/coronavirus.
NLRB Joint-Employment Rule to Take Effect
The National Labor Relations Board ...
A Trending News video featured in #WorkforceWednesday: Last week, government agencies released several different coronavirus guidance documents for employers:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released general guidance as well as separate guidance for health care employers.
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has released general guidance and additional industry-specific guidance for health care, death care, laboratories, airline operations, border protection, and waste management.
- California’s ...
A Trending News interview with our colleague Michael Ferrell of Epstein Becker Green, as featured in #WorkforceWednesday. As Mike discusses, Kickstarter employees voted to unionize last week. This is the first big unionization in the technology industry, and it could signal more union activity to come.
A Trending News video featured in #WorkforceWednesday: According to The New York Times, over 200 executives have been ousted since 2017, leaving some wondering – is #MeToo over? Far from it.
This dynamic, macro-equity movement has led to numerous workplace regulations that encompass broader pay equity and diversity and inclusion efforts. Privileged pay equity audits are one proactive tool.
Blog Editors
Recent Updates
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- Video: New Executive Order Targets Disparate Impact Claims Nationwide - Employment Law This Week
- EEOC Opens 2024 EEO-1 Reporting and the Deadline to File is Weeks Away