The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is obsessed with wellness programs. Or, as the EEOC likes to describe them “‘so-called’ wellness programs.” And not in a “yay, so-called wellness programs are super” kinda way. No, in recent months, the EEOC has initiated litigation against companies (example, example, example) claiming that…
Articles Posted in Human Resources Policies
Is it against the law to remote wipe an employee’s Candy Crush high score?
Replace Candy Crush high score with email contacts on a personal iPhone used for work (BYOD), and you have the issue that a federal court in Texas recently tackled. The answer follows after the jump… * * * This case presents a set of facts not unlike those which could…
Philadelphia now requires breastfeeding protections for local employees
Heads up, Philly employers! This new law takes effect right away! Read all about it after the jump… * * * Last night was our firm’s fantasy football draft. Here is my team in our 12-team league. Feel free to grade it in the comments below. So, no offense folks,…
#SHRM14 updates from the best of the bloggerati
Sorry for the late past today, gang. I had planned on putting something together last night, but, two words: sushi coma. So, here for your enjoyment, whether you’re attending the 2014 SHRM Annual Conference and Expo this year, like I am, or whether you’ve been following along online, is a…
How yesterday’s federal court strike of PA’s same-sex marriage ban affects employers
ICYMI, yesterday, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania ruled in this opinion that PA’s same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional. How fitting that the first gay couple in Philadelphia to obtain a marriage license was Kerry Smith and Rue Landau, who serves as the Executive Director…
Should U.S. employers provide “paid menstrual leave”?
In Friday’s edition of The Atlantic, Emily Matcher’s “Should Paid ‘Menstrual Leave’ Be a Thing?” was shared over 12,000 times. The article notes that several Asian countries including Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia, offer “menstrual leave” for women endure painful periods. However, Ms. Matcher mentioned that, while many…
My employee deleted all of her work emails and quit. Can I sue her for that?
Well, sure, you can. But winning that case — especially if you’re thinking about a claim under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act — may be another story. The CFAA is designed to prevent unauthorized access or malicious interference with a computer system. Often used as an employer-sword, to state…
Employment Law Blog Carnival – Pick Your Holiday Edition
The third week of April ushers in several holidays: Passover, Good Friday, Easter. But no matter what your religion or god — even a sacrilicious ceiling waffle — we can all agree that the Employment Law Blog Carnival, which you can find this month at Tim Eavenson’s blog: Current Employment,…
ACA Update: Why Your Company Should Be Tracking Employees’ Hours Now
My Dilworth Paxson colleagues, Matthew Whitehorn and Richard Smolen, recently published an important alert about how keeping good employee records now can help protect your business from future “play or pay” penalties under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). You can view a copy of it here. Tomorrow, I plan to…
New Philadelphia law requires accommodations for pregnant employees
Late last month, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter signed this bill, which requires reasonable workplace accommodations for employees who have needs related to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition. As noted in this prior post about Philadelphia’s new law, reasonable accommodations would include, but are not limited to, restroom breaks, periodic…