The First Circuit affirmed a ruling that dismissed Title VII discrimination claims brought by employees who were disciplined for wearing face masks featuring the Black Lives Matter (BLM) slogan at work. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Whole…
A professor who was not reappointed after he raised concerns relating to labor practices proved his whistleblower claim and is entitled to more than $735,000 in damages, a state court in Connecticut has ruled. After earning his Ph.D in marketing…
Who was involved: The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and three HR professionals who are hearing impaired. What happened: The HR professionals are members of SHRM. They alleged the organization violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act…
West Virginia’s highest court remanded age and sex discrimination claims filed by an employee who lost her job. Diane Judy started working as a commercial driver’s license (CDL) instructor for a college in 2018. That December, she expressed concerns about…
If you’re still short-staffed and looking for employees, we’ve got some terrific news! A new study found that 94% of people who said they were unemployed and 68% of retirees would consider returning to work. The CNBC All-America Workforce Survey…
In an important new ruling, a federal appeals court ruled that Title VII’s anti-retaliation provision applies to an HR manager’s claim that her employer fired her because she provided testimony against a prior employer in a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit. Broadly…
A federal magistrate judge recommended denying a Colorado university’s motion to dismiss a Title VII reverse discrimination claim filed by a male applicant. In 2018, Christian Sparks applied for a position as a Civil Rights Investigator with the Office of…
A doctor who lost his job after he refused to comply with his employer’s vaccine mandate was unable to persuade a federal appeals court to order his reinstatement. Dr. Paul Halczenko worked at St. Vincent Hospital, which adopted a COVID-19…
A veteran employee filed Title VII race and pay discrimination claims after he noticed a newer colleague quickly climbing the ranks and earning substantial raises. In 2010, Paul Palmer Jr. II, who is Black, was hired as a lecturer in…
In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court decided a huge case about union dues with its ruling in Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31, 138 S.Ct. 2448 (U.S. 2018). The high court held there that unions cannot mandate deductions from the paychecks…
An employee sued for religious discrimination after he was fired for posting a comment on the company's intranet about its rainbow flag display in observance of Pride Month. Here's what happened: The longtime employee, Daniel Snyder, was filling out the…
A new twist on bereavement leave has been gaining steam – and companies in Illinois will soon be required to provide it under state law. Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently signed the Family Bereavement Leave Act, which expands the definition of…
Keeping employees healthy physically and mentally is the focus of most HR efforts, and one way to keep employees healthy mentally is to practice mindfulness. So what is mindfulness? Is it meditation, breathing exercises, extra focus? Honestly, mindfulness can be…
After facing workplace discipline for refusing to use the preferred pronouns of a transgender student, a professor sued his employer. In 2016, Shawnee State University informed faculty members that they had to refer to students by their preferred pronouns. Further, it…
If you don’t already offer employees the benefit of having some type of workplace savings program, you might want to consider it asap. Here’s why: In a new study, 50% of employees who don’t have access to a workplace savings…
Colorado has joined a growing list of states that have passed what are known as “Clean Slate” laws, lending momentum to a trend that is likely to see additional states follow suit -- perhaps in the near future. Gov. Jared…
