Seems one employer may not have received the memo. Now, the EEOC is taking aim. More on this and some tips for employers to avoid pregnancy-accommodation traps, after the jump… * * * Over the summer, the EEOC issued new guidance on accommodating pregnant employees. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act doesn’t…
The Employer Handbook Blog
The importance of having clear employment policies…and following them
Remember that Americans with Disabilities Act case involving Walgreens and the $1.39 bag of chips. In that one, the store appeared to really step in it by firing a diabetic who ate a bag of chips from the store without paying for it. The employee claimed that she needed the chips for…
The Supreme Court completes my religious discrimination superfecta
Have you noticed a theme here at the blog this week? I mean, other than the crappy posts. Well, that and the crotch grabbing. It’s been all about religious discrimination. Good ahead, scroll down the page, there they are. And yesterday, the Supreme Court announced that it is going to…
Can crosses on holiday party invitations create a hostile work environment?
Remember yesterday, when I was talking about religious accommodations, I said, “Treat all religions equally.” That same rule applies to casting out the evil devil of religious discrimination generally. Church! After the jump, from my bloggerdome pulpit, I’m preaching my religion: employment law. All ye harassers, there is still time…
A Monday Night Football lesson on workplace religious accommodations
After scoring a touchdown on Monday night, Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah dropped to his knees and prayed. Kinda like this. As Kevin Draper at Deadspin.com reports (here), a tweet from Abdullah’s brother further confirmed that the player’s post-TD celebration was a Muslim prayer. Except the referees responded with…
The religious bias case of the Jehovah’s Witness officer who refused to use a gun
Ok, technically, he was a “parking services officer.” But, he was working in a police department. And when you work in a police department as an officer, the odds are that you’ll need some weapons training. Well, cue the jump where we learn whether a police department has to accommodate…
Court: It’s ok to try to hit a co-worker with your car after grabbing her crotch (twice)
The opinion contains the words “fingered,” “genital area,” and “sexual assault,” plus an allegation that the assailant tried to hit the plaintiff with her car in the mall parking lot. But, the court concluded that there was no sexual harassment, because none of these events “affected the conditions of her…
The #EEOC makes history by filing its first ever transgender-discrimination lawsuits
Bending iPhone6’s? Derek Jeter’s last home game in Yankee pinstripes? Attorney General Eric Holder to resign? Bah! The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was the one stealing the headlines yesterday — err, doing something that I decided to be most blogworthy. Details on two historic lawsuits after the jump… *…
The Workplace Risks (and Rewards) of Social Media
Wouldn’t it be great if two employment lawyers, one representing employees, another representing management, would discuss the employment-law implications of social media in the workplace on a Twitter chat? Then some other lawyers could chime in. And we’d have a moderator. What’s the word I’m looking for? Dorky? A little.…
An orgasm on a treadmill explodes an employee’s FMLA claim
Yep, that’s what I said. More on this after the jump… * * * When Rheanne met the unemployment line. Rheanne Halker was a server at Bob Evans Farms. Hey, speaking of restaurants and orgasms… Anyway, Bob Evans Farms has an employee handbook. One of the rules in the handbook…