Sometimes courts resolve complex employment issues. And sometimes they are asked whether an employee suffered legal harm because she didn’t get to say goodbye to coworkers. Buckle up. TL;DR: A federal appellate court just affirmed summary judgment against an employee who quit, gave two weeks’ notice, was paid for the
Congress is not slowing down on AI regulation. Weeks after lawmakers introduced a bill requiring employers to track how many jobs AI creates and eliminates, another proposal has arrived that targets how employers actually use AI at work. TL;DR: The No Robot Bosses Act would create sweeping new federal
A single disclosure from a job applicant about her methadone prescription allegedly turned a routine interview into an ADA problem the EEOC now wants a court to resolve. TL;DR: The EEOC has sued concrete-industry employers, alleging they refused to hire applicants who lawfully use methadone or other medication-assisted
How can you tell if your business is big enough to trigger federal or state employment laws? A recent Ninth Circuit case illustrates just how complicated that question can get. Two columns in a payroll spreadsheet generated two different employee counts, creating a triable issue about legal coverage. TL;DR: A
Sometimes the biggest workplace stories are the ones that hit closest to home for HR professionals. A recent jury verdict involving the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is one of those moments, not because of who the defendant was, but because the issues are ones every employer faces.
When criticism stays focused on performance, and not on leave, employers are on stronger footing. This decision shows how that plays out. TL;DR: A senior account manager took eight and a half days of paid time off to care for a seriously ill daughter and then her mother. She
Most people assume FLSA retaliation claims start and end with the employer on the worker’s W-2. Not so. The Ninth Circuit just widened the blast radius. TL;DR: The Ninth Circuit held that a worker who files an FLSA lawsuit against one business can pursue a retaliation claim against a
Some accommodation requests are straightforward. Others arrive wrapped in spiritual language but turn out to be personal views, broad objections, or political frustrations. A recent federal decision breaks down the elements courts look for in separating religious beliefs from non-religious objections. TL;DR: A federal court just explained how to
Supervisors sometimes say things they should never say. When that happens, employers usually brace for impact. But this case shows how strong documentation and independent decision-making can prevent one person’s bad behavior from controlling the outcome. TL;DR: A supervisor mocked an employee’s VA disability rating, and the employee reported
Several readers of this blog have floated the idea that Muldrow v. City of St. Louis — the Supreme Court’s recalibration of what counts as actionable harm in discrimination cases — might ripple into harassment standards. One federal appellate court recently explained why it doesn’t. TL;DR: The Tenth Circuit held
Millions of Americans will sit down tomorrow and pretend that every dish on the table is: cooked through (optimistically), technically food, and made with love, when in reality at least three items will be: described as “interesting,” wrapped in foil that looks suspiciously like it came straight from a minivan,