Legal Issues

EEOC complaints based on religious accommodations had already increased substantially over the last two fiscal years. In 2021, there were 2,111 religious-discrimination charges. By the end of fiscal year 2022, that number had jumped to 13,814. That number may increase yet again in the wake of the Su

Of course the EEOC keeps an eye out for cases of discrimination and harassment committed by co-workers and supervisors. But did you know it also investigates—and files lawsuits—when employees allege discrimination and harassment perpetrated by customers and clients?

Expect more requests for religious accommodations and more objections to performing some tasks. That kind of employee pushback—aided by well-financed nonprofit groups willing to litigate their cases—is already yielding more EEOC religious-discrimination complaints and federal lawsuits.

Employers are required to stop harassment when it occurs by taking reasonable actions such as disciplining the harasser. But do employers have an obligation to warn other employees about harassers in their midst?

According to a new study published in The Lancet, individuals who contracted COVID-19 and experienced continuing or recurring symptoms like brain fog often experience lasting cognitive damage. For employers and the supervisors who manage employees with long-COVID brain fog, it means offering reasona

As a manager, it’s vital that you follow your company’s record-retention policy, and that you inform your staff and ensure their compliance as well. Employees who handle records on a regular basis need to thoroughly know and understand the policy’s content. All staff members, though, benefit from ha

While we may all like to think we don’t stereotype based on sex, race, nationality or any other protected class, the truth is that we may. And the number of lawsuits alleging that employers made hiring and promotion decisions based on stereotyping should serve as a warning to self-audit for doing ju

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act takes effect June 27. In the run-up to that date, the EEOC has begun filing pregnancy-discrimination lawsuits at a rapid clip. For example, it just sued a bar over allegations that managers adopted a paternalistic approach to pregnancy, resulting in the firing of a

EEOC charges exploded in fiscal year 2022, jumping almost 20% compared to FY 2021 and reversing a 10-year trend in which discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims steadily declined.

The EEOC has recently become quite proactive about the downsides of artificial intelligence, warning employers that using AI in the hiring process could lead to violations of anti-discrimination laws. The commission is rightly worried that certain AI programs may be designed in ways that either acti