Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
On July 14 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued enforcement guidance on pregnancy discrimination accompanied by an extensive and practical Q&A. The new guidance, the first to address pregnancy discrimination since 1983, focuses on how the 2008 amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may apply to employees with pregnancy-related disabilities. Is EEOC […]
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether the Pregnancy Discrimination Act requires employers to accommodate pregnant employees, it announced July 1. The court agreed to review Young v. United Parcel Service, Inc., a case from last year in which the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a corporate policy that does not include […]
Virtually every employer is going to deal with pregnant employees from time to time. Employers want to act in good faith and stay in compliance not only with the ADA and FMLA, but also with the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA). PDA is an amendment to Title VII which specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of […]
The PDA applies regardless of how long an employee has worked for you. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), however, has stricter eligibility requirements but also offer more potential benefits. For example, the FMLA applies to new fathers as well as mothers. To be eligible for FMLA leave, an employee must have worked for […]
“All pregnant employees should stop work 30 days before their due dates.” “Pregnant women should stay out 6 weeks after the birth.” “I’m not hiring a pregnant applicant—she’ll just go on leave the day I get her trained.” “Pregnant women shouldn’t be working after the baby comes.” These ideas are out there, but they’re all […]
When last night’s episode originally aired on February 10, 2011, I noted that the Scranton office more closely resembled a nightclub at the height of the sexual revolution than a reputable place of business — see my original commentary entitled “Let’s Get It On.” I discussed recent findings on the prevalence of workplace dating, as well […]
by Sarah McAdams Do you keep your personal Blackberry or iPhone on your bedside table, yanking yourself from deep sleep every time a new message dings in? You’re not alone, sad addict. I, for instance, am typing this on a Saturday at a picnic table in my backyard. For years, employers have most frequently issued […]
by Al Vreeland What could be more noxious to the American soul than an assault on motherhood? We all have a mother (though some might question the genetic origin of lawyers). Many of us return to her apron strings when we need reassurance that we haven’t become fat and stupid (or at least completely so). […]
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) is back in the news as the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether AT&T violated the Act by paying reduced pension benefits based on uncredited pregnancy leave taken before enactment of the PDA in 1978. That upcoming decision may influence whether companies have to change their policies retroactively to comply with […]
Do your employees “tweet”? If your response to this question is something along the lines of “huh?” it means you probably weren’t born in the 1980s or 90s. But for Millennials (a/k/a Generation Y) and other technophiles, Twitter is quickly becoming an omnipresent form of communication available any time of day—including during the work day.