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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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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Par Ventures, Inc., a North Carolina corporation that operates seven McDonald’s restaurants, has agreed to pay $12,500 to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuit alleging that a teenage worker was subjected a sexually hostile work environment. EEOC alleged in a statement announcing the agreement that a “people manager” at one of the…

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Romance at work isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can create consequences ranging from irritating to legally actionable. Employees can spend most of their waking hours at work, so, naturally, friendships can form; and out of some of those, romantic relationships will blossom. But sometimes those work romances cross a line or spawn consequences. The…

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NLRB rulings and new anti-harassment, marijuana and leave laws may prompt changes. A new year inevitably brings new workplace laws, whether at the federal, state or local level. So January is usually a good time for HR professionals to review their employee handbook and make changes. Staying abreast of the evolving regulatory environment remains one…

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Republican, Democrat and independent employees have something in common in these partisan times: Nearly half have had a disagreement in the workplace over politics, according to new research released today. The survey, fielded Oct. 7-14, suggests that many workers are involved in political discussions in the workplace and that those discussions are leading to conflicts: 56 percent of U.S. employees say…

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Often—and without much thinking—when an employer faces a claim of sexual harassment, the knee-jerk response is to discipline or terminate the man accused. It is the easiest way to go, especially if the alleged harasser is a mid- or lower-level employee, is not a stellar performer, and involved in a largely he said/she said situation.…

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We will soon see—at least under federal law. What am I talking about? This past week, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard oral arguments on three cases in order to decide whether discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or transgender status constitutes discrimination “on the basis of sex.” Let’s…

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Take care of yourself! In medicine, sometimes the practices that get people in trouble are pretty simple. Too many nachos, and not enough leafy greens. You’d rather binge-watch Seasons 1-3 of Stranger Things than go for a walk. You hate needles, so you haven’t been to the doctor in 20 years. The same principle often applies…

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Sexually explicit rumors, affairs to influence promotion, jealous male coworkers, sexist remarks by a high-ranking manager, and ultimate retaliation and termination—an episode of Mad Men? The plot of a new show on Netflix? No. Real sexual harassment—at least according to Evangeline Parker, who filed a claim alleging discrimination under Title VII against her former employer,…

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