Employee Relations

Danone North America, whose portfolio of brands include Activia, Dannon, Horizon Organic and YoCrunch, has expanded its parental bonding leave policy to its manufacturing employees, enabling them to take 18 weeks’ paid time off within the first year of the birth or adoption of a child. The company in a Dec. 1 announcement said the benefit is…

The U.S. Supreme Court should weigh in on a Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 sexual harassment standard and resolve a “clear and important” circuit split, an employee argued in a Nov. 12 filing (Paskert v. Kemna-ASA Auto Plaza, Inc., No. 18-3623). The petition, originally filed in July, challenged an 8th U.S. Circuit Court…

Whether they have remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic or sought to reopen after pandemic-related closures, employers have had to monitor the constantly evolving and often confusing guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal and state entities. OSHA has recently fined numerous…

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…

Even though it happens every four-years, it still tends to dominate the media, culture, and watercooler. We are, of course, talking about the presidential election. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, but citizens have been voting in some states since late September. As the airwaves become inundated with political ads, telephones get overwhelmed with robocalls,…

The much-anticipated surge of COVID-19 pandemic-related litigation has begun. As the pandemic continues to lay siege to the United States economy, claimants’ lawyers and government agencies have begun setting their sights on employers. In early May, we predicted an uptick in a variety of claims, including those relating to workplace safety, discrimination in furlough and…

Furloughs that last for six months — among other reductions — could trigger the law’s notice requirements. During the initial wave of COVID-19 business closures and public health orders, many employers dealt with uncertainty by placing employees on furlough rather than initiating layoffs. The situation is such that more than six months into the pandemic,…

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.…

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,…

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…

Danone Extends 18 Weeks of Parental Leave to Manufacturing Employees

‘Clear’ Circuit Split on Sexual Harassment Requires SCOTUS Review, Employee Says

Workplace Safety During the Pandemic: What Employers May Not Know About Their OSHA Obligations

Addressing and Preventing Inappropriate ‘Shop Talk’

Election Day Leave Policies – What Employers Need to Know Before November 3

COVID-19 Related Litigation Surges: What Employers Can Do To Minimize Exposure

COVID-19 Furloughs May Present WARN Compliance Risk ‘Very Soon’

3 Steps to Prevent Discrimination Complaints

Senate Confirms 3 Commissioners, Maintaining EEOC’s Right-Leaning Quorum

Pay Transparency Takes Center Stage as More Workers Talk Wages