candles burning on a rack indoors in the dark

Dealing With Religious Objections to a COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement

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In our discussions of rules mandating COVID-19 vaccines, we’ve mentioned the two possible exemptions to a vaccine requirement: disability and religion. Let’s break down the religious exemption. Under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, a covered employer is required to “reasonably accommodate” an employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs or practic...
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Protected Concerted Activity in the Era of COVID-19: What Employers Need to Know

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The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is one of the federal agencies that many employers do not have on their radar. The NLRB is most closely associated with union organizing efforts and collective bargaining agreements between unions and companies. In 2020, only 10.8 percent of wage and salary workers in the US were members of unions (according to th...
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It’s Not A Good Idea To Admit To Discrimination in a Text Message

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Sometimes, I just have to shake my head when I read about an employment decision gone horribly wrong. And this one is really a head shaker: according to a lawsuit just filed by the EEOC, a manager at a Franklinton, Louisiana, restaurant fired a newly-hired worker after sending her a social media message saying, “I’m not gonna be able to hire you. I didn’t...
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How To Handle The Employee Who Refuses To Get Vaccinated for COVID-19

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Yesterday, the Biden administration announced that the Labor Department will issue a regulation requiring companies with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforces are either “fully vaccinated” or test negative for Covid-19 at least once a week. The regulation will be issued by OSHA, most likely in the form of an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). ...
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Lawfully Handling Employee Mental Health Issues

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Thanks to the effects of a worldwide pandemic and revelations by high profile athletes, the issue of mental health is being openly discussed. Such discussions may even happen in your workplace. So how do you deal with employees who reveal that they are struggling with mental health issues, either their own or those of a close family member?
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indoors, office

Can An Employer Fire Employees Who Refuse To Come Back to the Office?

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As COVID restrictions ease, many employers are deciding whether to require employees who have been working remotely to come back to the office. So can an employer fire employees who refuse to come back to the office? Yes–with some important exceptions.
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signing agreement

Think Before You Require Your Employees to Sign Non-compete Agreements

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Today, the President issued an Executive Order broadly tackling the issue of competition in the marketplace. One of the particular issues that the FTC has been tasked with is to restrict the use of non-competition agreements that have become common in certain industries and limit worker mobility. In addition, several states have enacted laws that restrict...
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EEOC Issues Updated Guidance on Avoiding Discrimination Against Transgender Employees

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Last week, on the first anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, in which the Court held that Title VII’s prohibition on discrimination on the basis is “sex” encompasses sexual orientation and transgender status, the EEOC issued some updated guidance regarding the treatment of transgender employees in the workpla...
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Religious Liberty vs. LBGTQ Rights: Narrow Supreme Court Decision Fails to Resolve Many Questions

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One of the most eagerly anticipated decisions coming from the U.S. Supreme Court this term was Fulton v. Philadephia, a case involving a Catholic charity’s challenge to a Philadelphia ordinance that excluded it from part of the city’s foster-care program because the charity would not help place children with same-sex couples. The charity argued that ...
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OSHA Issues COVID Emergency Temporary Standard–For Healthcare. Is There More to Come?

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Today, the Department of Labor released the long-awaiting OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for dealing with COVID-19. This ETS applies to all settings where any employee provides healthcare services or healthcare support services.
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vaccine extraction indoors

EEOC Updates Guidance on Vaccinations, and Yes, Employers Can Require Employees to Be Vaccinated

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Late last week, just before most of us enjoyed a long holiday weekend, the EEOC issued some additional guidance addressing questions arising under the federal equal employment opportunity laws in regard to employees and COVID vaccinations. Considering that the distribution of vaccines started in February, the EEOC is a little late to the party, but better...
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