Discrimination

Expert Analysis

• Pros And Cons As Calif. Employers Rethink Forced Arbitration

  

  As California employers reconsider mandatory arbitration pacts following favorable high-profile federal and state court rulings, they should contemplate the benefits and burdens of such agreements, and fine-tune contract language to ensure continued enforcement, say Niki Lubrano and Brian Cole at CDF Labor Law.

• Eye On Compliance: Cross-State Noncompete Agreements

  

  The Federal Trade Commission's recent proposal to limit the application of worker noncompete agreements is a timely reminder for prudent employers to reexamine their current policies and practices around such covenants — especially businesses with operational footprints spanning more than one state, says Jeremy Stephenson at Wilson Elser.

• A DOL Reminder That ADA Doesn't Limit FMLA Protections

  

  A recent U.S. Department of Labor opinion letter and some case law make clear that the Family and Medical Leave Act fills in gaps where the Americans with Disabilities Act may not neatly apply, however the agency ignored a number of courts that have supported termination when "no overtime" restrictions effectively reduce a position to part-time, says Jeff Nowak at Littler Mendelson.

• 5 Potential Perils Of Implementing Employee Sabbaticals

  

  As companies try to retain employees with sabbatical benefits amid record-low unemployment rates, employers should be aware of several potential legal risks when considering policies to allow these leave periods, say Jesse Dill and Corissa Pennow at Ogletree.

• 4 Ways To Reboot Your Firm's Stalled Diversity Program

  

  Law firms that have failed to see real progress despite years of diversity initiatives can move forward by committing to tackle four often-taboo obstacles that hinder diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, says Steph Maher at Jaffe.

• Everyrealm Case Spurs Big Workplace Arbitration Questions

  

  If a New York federal judge's recent textualist ruling in Johnson v. Everyrealm denying arbitration of an entire employment lawsuit is appealed and upheld, it could set the stage for significant impairment of the enforcement of arbitration agreements, says Rex Berry at Signature Resolution.

• A Worker's Guide To Fighting Discriminatory Layoffs

  

  Recent mass layoffs have hit the tech industry particularly hard, and while a reduction in force can present hurdles for employees to vindicate their rights, it does not insulate employers from liability for discrimination, retaliation and other employment law violations, say attorneys at Sanford Heisler.

• McDonald's Harassment Ruling And 'Mission-Critical Risk'

  

  The Delaware Chancery Court's recent decision in the McDonald's case appears to have expanded the potential for Caremark liability beyond the parameters that many legal analysts had understood to apply, finding that maintaining workplace safety is a mission-critical risk for companies but also reinforcing the high bar for that liability, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

• Memo Shows NLRB Intends To Protect Race Talk At Work

  

  A newly released memo from the National Labor Relations Board advising that discussions of racism at work count as protected concerted activity should alert employers that worker retaliation claims may now face serious scrutiny not only from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, but also the NLRB, says Mark Fijman at Phelps Dunbar.

• Evaluating Workplace Accommodations For Service Animals

  

  In Bennett v. Hurley Medical Center, a Michigan federal court ruled in favor of the hospital after a nursing intern filed a disability discrimination lawsuit regarding her service dog, highlighting the importance of engaging in interactive processes and individualized actions in workplace accommodation decisions, say Keith Anderson and Anne Yuengert at Bradley Arant.

• Breaking Down Maryland's Adult-Use Cannabis Bill

  

  Maryland voters approved adult-use cannabis in November and state lawmakers have recently introduced a bill to create a regulatory framework for its cultivation, production and sale, but questions remain on blackout periods for licensees, vertical integration, a lack of protection for off-the-job marijuana use and more, say attorneys at Fox Rothschild.

• Financial Institutions And A New Era Of Fair Hiring Initiatives

  

  There's a greater opportunity for hiring employees with certain criminal convictions under the new Fair Hiring in Banking Act, but covered financial institutions still need to consider the variety of federal, state and local laws affecting the landscape when it comes to navigating fair chance initiatives, says Susan Corcoran at Jackson Lewis.

• COVID's Impact On Employment Law Is Still Felt 3 Years Later

  

  Since COVID-19's onset in the U.S. three years ago, almost every existing aspect of employment law has been shaped by pandemic-induced changes, including accommodation requests under the Americans with Disabilities Act, remote work policies and employer vaccine mandates, say Scott Allen and M.C. Cravatta at Foley & Lardner.