Image Credit: Pixabay.com (https://pixabay.com/en/eyes-surprise-wow-expression-open-312093/) Yesterday morning, I read my friend Jon Hyman’s post on LinkedIn about a lawsuit in which a person of color alleged that various supervisors and managers: Frequently called him the “n-word”; Told him to “reach his black hands out” while handing him a box; and Offered him a…
By Governor Tom Wolf from Harrisburg, PA [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia CommonsOn February 5, 2018, the Detroit Lions named former New England Patriots Defensive Coordinator Matt Patricia as the team’s new Head Coach. Maybe, Lions ownership missed Super Bowl LII and the 41 points that the Philadelphia Eagles dropped…
Ad Meskens [Attribution, CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], from Wikimedia CommonsI’ll be testifying today before the Pennsylvania House Labor and Industry Committee at a public hearing on harassment and sexual misconduct in the workplace. I should be up at about 10:50 AM, when I will testify for five minutes on: the…
Screenshot taken from https://news.starbucks.com/views/a-follow-up-message-from-starbucks-ceo-in-philadelphia Starbucks was riding a pretty good HR streak in 2018. Among other things, the coffee giant had attained 100% gender and racial equality and announced investments in paid leave. Yep, things were lookin’ really good for Starbucks. Then, last week, things got really bad. An arrest…
Facebook Mobile Texting Smartphone Facebook Lite (Image Credit: http://maxpixel.freegreatpicture.com/Facebook-Mobile-Texting-Smartphone-Facebook-Lite-3021068) During a week-long vacation from work, a Pennsylvania woman claims that some colleagues logged into her Facebook account from work and reviewed her Facebook Messenger messages, among other things. The woman further claims that when she returned to work from vacation, her…
Image Credit: Pixabay.com It’s been a while since we addressed the legalization of medical marijuana in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and what that means for employers. It was about two years ago to be precise. Last October, I presented on this topic at the SHRM Lehigh Valley “annual” October Conference. …
Image Credit: Pexels.com You know what? Strike that. Milk was a bad choice. When a car dealership allegedly rehired the guy who supposedly drugged and assaulted a female co-worker — now the plaintiff in this action — it bought itself a viable hostile work environment claim. They did what now? According…
Image Credit: Photofunia.com Most discrimination lawsuits involve a single, individual plaintiff and, on the other side of the “v,” a company as the sole defendant. But, sometimes, that plaintiff will name additional individual defendants too, such as a manager, supervisor, or even someone from Human Resources. When that happens, what…
You know, I don’t think we’ve ever discussed the False Claims Act here at The Employer Handbook. I don’t think we’ve discussed crowded clown cars either. And, while clowns may pique more interest, alas, this is an employment-law blog. So, I suppose we’ll enjoy our first taste of FCA together.…
Hi there. Did you have a nice Thanksgiving? Notwithstanding Thursday’s feast, I rallied hard over the weekend. Indeed, I needed my energy up to check some boxes on my older daughter’s Christmas list. (She claims that number one is commonplace in Canada. I’m not so sure). But, I’m taking a break…