Do Not Get Hounded For Bringing Your Dog To Work
Everyone loves a dog at work, right? Not necessarily. Before you bring your pup into the office, make sure you have covered these topics with your boss first. Pup-friendly - Most offices are not dog-friendly. There are cables, boxes, and equipment that could be potentially dangerous to them. Check out your space and establish that your dog will not get [...]
Can I be Terminated for Live Streaming the Olympics?
Every other year we get to enjoy a glorious two weeks of constant Olympic coverage. Since the 2018 Olympics are in PyeongChang, South Korea and that is half a world away, most of the truly live coverage happens while we are all sleeping. So maybe keeping up with all the action requires a little [or a lot of] work-day [...]
Can a Witness to a Discrimination Action Have a Retaliation Complaint?
As a result of filing a workplace discrimination charge, a thorough investigation may need to be commenced. During the course of the investigation, co-workers are often interviewed to gather additional information, and some may have been a witness to the actual discriminatory event. Being involved in one of these investigations can cause animosity toward all parties involved. When co-workers [...]
Are Illegal Immigrants Protected from Employment Discrimination?
The main anti-discrimination law protecting United States employees is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. But do the protections contained within this federal Act extend to workers who are illegally in the United States? Can an undocumented immigrant bring a discrimination claim under Title VII? Surprisingly, yes. Title VII applies to persons “employed by an employer,” not just [...]
Larry Nassar and the Ethics of Using Non-Disclosure Agreements to Settle Sexual Misconduct Claims
On January 24, 2018, Larry Nassar, the disgraced former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor, was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for sexually assaulting more than 150 girls. During Nassar’s sentencing, many of his victims provided emotional impact statements which revealed the lasting scars of his heinous acts. One such statement came from retired Olympic [...]
EEOC’s Disability Discrimination Complaints are Lowest They Have Been in Years
In 2017, the EEOC reported 26,838 charges of disability-related discrimination. While this number may seem high, it actually reflects a dramatic drop in such charges. In 2015 and 2016, the EEOC saw record high numbers of disability complaints. Complaints alleging discrimination based on an employee’s disability represented a significant portion of the total complaints received in 2017 - 31.9%, [...]