Washington has significantly revised its Domestic Violence Leave law to prohibit discrimination against applicants or employees who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The new law applies to all employers as of June 7, 2018, and prohibits employers from: Refusing to hire an actual or perceived victim of…
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With Starbucks’ recent announcement that the company has achieved 100 percent pay equity by race and gender for U.S. workers performing similar jobs, most employers are left wondering how Starbucks got there—and how they can get there, too. The topic of equal pay continues to make headlines, and California, Oregon, and Washington are at the…
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A female police sergeant was awarded $350,000 in a retaliation claim when her employer transferred her 180 miles away after she complained of sexual harassment. The sergeant, who had worked for the police since 1987, had complained of unwanted sexual advances and a sexual assault by a co-worker. The investigation by…
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Question: We have a pregnant employee who just notified us she has lifting restrictions for the remainder of her pregnancy. Her current position requires consistently lifting 40 pounds, but she says she can’t lift more than 10 pounds. Can we put her on leave for the rest of her pregnancy?
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Washington Governor Jay Inslee has signed two new laws intended to encourage public disclosure and discussion of sexual harassment in the workplace. Both of these laws take effect on June 7, 2018. #1: Substitute Senate Bill 6313 Substitute Senate Bill 6313 makes an employment agreement void and unenforceable if it requires an…
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Washington’s new “ban the box” law, which takes effect June 7, 2018, prohibits private employers from asking about criminal history before deciding whether an applicant meets the basic criteria for the position. It also prohibits job ads that automatically exclude people with criminal histories from applying (e.g., by saying “no felons” or “no criminal…
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The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has posted more settlements online, after employers with federal contracts agreed to settle allegations of discrimination in pay and hiring. The OFCCP had conducted affirmative action audits of the contractors. The companies below denied the agency’s allegations but eventually agreed to pay significant sums…
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Question: We have an anti-harassment policy and complaint process in our employee handbook. We also conduct annual training for employees. What else should we be doing to prevent workplace harassment?
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We just lost one of our biggest customers and have decided we need to lay off several employees from multiple departments. It turns out that all of the selected employees are over 40. Do we face potential liability?
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The National Labor Relations Board should dismiss a Google software engineer’s complaint that he was illegally fired for circulating an anti-diversity memo, according to an official opinion from a staff attorney in the Division of Advice for the Board’s Office of the General Counsel. You may recall that in August 2017, the media was…
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