Federal law requires employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of their current and prospective employees and document their compliance using the Employment Verification, Form I-9. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) Homeland Security...
Back to Basics: Workplace Investigations
Workplace Investigations – and the need for them – have been in the news a lot lately. So it seems like a good time to review some basics, such as what triggers them, who should conduct them, and why are they important. A workplace investigation can be triggered by...
FMLA: A Painful Reminder of the Importance of Supervisor Training
The importance of training supervisors on how to recognize and deal with employee leave issues cannot be overstated. And here’s a painful example of why… Grace, an employee at a group home where she provided support to residents with mental impairments, was...
Maximum Leave Policies Can Cost Employers – Big Time
UPS recently agreed to pay a $2M to settle a disability discrimination suit brought by the EEOC relative to its maximum leave policy. The company’s policy required “administrative separation” if an employee was unable to return to work after 12 months. The EEOC said...
Responding to Requests for Employee Leave for Disaster Relief Efforts
In response to Hurricane Harvey’s destruction in Texas and Louisiana, employees may wish to take time off from work to participate in the cleanup efforts. Employers may wonder what their obligations are when faced with requests for leave. Public Sector State...
Employers Must Update Their New-Hire Paperwork By September 18th – Again
Starting September 18, 2017, all employers will be required to use a new I-9 Form, the form used to verify an employee’s eligibility to work in the United States. The most recent change to the I-9 was less than a year ago, so it is important to ensure that you are...
Legislature Expands Pregnancy Protections, Malloy Set To Sign
Just before the end of the legislative session, Public Act 17-118: An Act Concerning Pregnant Women in the Workplace, passed and is expected to be signed by the Governor. Effective October 1st, this Bill amends Connecticut’s existing Pregnancy Discrimination Statute,...
2d Circuit Court of Appeals reverses $2.6 million jury verdict in disability discrimination case
A pharmacist was terminated after he claimed he was unable to administer vaccinations to customers. Christopher Stevens sued Rite Aid for discrimination, retaliation and failure to accommodate under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other state...
The importance of punctuation: Missing Oxford comma benefits drivers in overtime case
What is an Oxford comma? The Oxford comma is an optional comma before the word ‘and’ at the end of a list: for example, “lions, and tigers, and bears… (oh my)”. While use of the Oxford comma has long been the subject of debate, the First Circuit Court of Appeals in...
Recent EEOC Decision Highlights the Importance of Dealing with Third Party Harassment
A recent judgment awarded $250,000 in compensatory damages (including emotional distress) resulting from an employer’s inaction against a customer who for more than a year engaged in a pattern of harassment including inappropriately touching the employee and stalking....