The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that federal law prohibits employers from discriminating against gay, lesbian, and transgender employees in workplaces. Hayley Archer discusses the case, its potential implications, and what it means for employees in Wisconsin. In a landmark decision that is a major victory for the LGBTQ community, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled…

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Workers undergoing methadone, Suboxone or similar addiction treatments are protected from discrimination by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reminded employers Nov. 16, announcing a lawsuit alleging such bias. The commission said it sued an Indiana-based transportation company for refusing to hire an applicant because of her Suboxone treatment for…

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In a manufacturing environment, employees often work near each other, and the level of noise can cause conversations to go unheard by others not in the immediate vicinity. Like the quintessential example of “locker room talk,” “shop talk” in a manufacturing environment can walk a fine line between employee banter and inappropriate, or, in extreme…

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Claims can take a toll on an employer’s reputation, finances, culture and more — not to mention the effect on employees directly involved. While the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reported a drop in charges received last year, the more than 72,000 filed show that discrimination and harassment complaints are still very much a concern for employers.…

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The U.S. Senate this week confirmed the nominations by Republicans of three commissioners for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Keith E. Sonderling, deputy administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, was confirmed Sept. 22 with a term that expires July 1, 2024 with a vote of 52-41. Sonderling was nominated in July 2019,…

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From video game publishers to coffee shops, pay disclosures are rattling HR. Sources say employers need to be careful when forming a response. In recent years, workers across entire companies and even entire industries have taken pay transparency to a new level via crowdsourced spreadsheets. One of the most recent examples comes from video game…

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Employees come to work to perform a job, but they also bring their social, political and personal ideologies, which they may choose to express in conversations with co-workers, on their clothing or in other ways. Thousands of Americans are actively engaging in social justice movements and standing up for causes such as Black Lives Matter.…

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Workers must be able to de-escalate situations before they become heated and possibly violent, a recent client told us. In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many companies are requiring customers and employees alike to wear face masks. Walmart announced July 15 that face masks would be mandatory for customers, signaling the start of a widespread requirement…

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Fair compensation requires both awareness and action………… Most HR leaders have heard disheartening statistics about the gender pay gap. PayScale, for example, reported in its Gender Pay Gap Report for 2020 that women make only $0.81 for every dollar men make. And the World Economic Forum has estimated that it will take more than 100…

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