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Policies / Handbooks

Check your policies and stay cognizant of antisemitism at work

07/14/2025
Jonathan Segal, a partner at Duane Morris LLP, tells HR professionals to stay cognizant as he witnesses “an explosion and evolution” of antisemitic views. He advises them to condemn antisemitism as they would other workplace -isms.

How discrimination beliefs are driving resistance to DEI initiatives

06/23/2025
When conversations around workplace equity stall or spark conflict, it’s often not because someone is unwilling to engage, but because people are starting from entirely different premises. A new Pew Research Center report highlights how vastly Americans’ perceptions of discrimination differ across political, demographic and social lines.

DOJ to seek criminal charges against federal contractors with ‘illegal’ DEI programs

06/02/2025
A memo makes clear that the DOJ wants whistleblowers to come forward with allegations of rogue DEI programs.

OK to terminate even if handbook doesn’t address obvious employee wrongdoing

05/19/2025
If an employee does or says something that clearly requires immediate discharge, don’t let the lack of a handbook policy stop you from acting. Courts usually side with employers that fire workers for behavior that runs counter to the employer’s best interest.

Understand the difference between legal and illegal DEI

05/15/2025
Quotas and preferences based on protected characteristics are unlawful. But what if you want to improve representation of marginalized groups in your workplace, and do it legally? Thankfully, the EEOC has long offered guidance.

Consider adding wellness policy to your handbook

05/12/2025
You’re missing an important productivity and retention opportunity if you don’t use your handbook to show you’re the kind of employer that cares about your employees and their physical and mental well-being.

Watch out for dress codes that could trigger ADA lawsuits

05/09/2025
Enforce your dress and grooming code too rigidly and you could find yourself on the losing end of a failure-to-accommodate lawsuit. Here’s a case showing that common medical problems may require employers to bend their dress-code rules to accommodate employee disabilities.

Former EEOC officials defend DEI initiatives

05/05/2025
A group of former EEOC commissioners and generals counsel have penned an open letter decrying Acting EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas’s efforts to stamp out private-sector diversity, equity and inclusion activities.

Be better! Anti-harassment training, half-hearted investigations aren’t enough

05/02/2025
Why aren’t anti-harassment policies more effective at preventing harassment? The answer may lie in ineffective training and the failure of employers to follow their own policies.

Understand marijuana laws in every jurisdiction where you operate

04/25/2025
Employers can require employees accused of violence at work to take a drug test. But what happens if the test reveals the presence of marijuana in the system of an employee whose use of medical marijuana is authorized by state law?