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Employee Relations

Diversity, equity and inclusion: 6 ways to craft legal plans

06/08/2026
Most employers are still committed to a diverse workforce even if they have made changes to how they believed they could legally achieve that goal. Now, they’re looking for ways to sustain their efforts without triggering undue legal risks.

Getting a reduction in force (RIF) right

05/31/2026
When a reduction in force moves from discussion to action, the biggest risk isn’t the decision itself—it’s how it’s carried out.

Another union wins big wage increase

05/31/2026
In a year that’s been marked by increasing layoffs and fears of artificial intelligence replacing human jobs, unions representing workers are still winning wage increases and better working conditions for those they represent.

DOL and DOE announce workforce development push

05/31/2026
On the heels of some success integrating support for traditional education and workforce development, the agencies are continuing their cooperation.

Do you have a manosphere problem?

05/25/2026
Hearing unfamiliar terms like “looksmaxxing,” “beta” or “body count” at work? Welcome to the manosphere problem. These online, pro-masculinity, anti-feminism subcultures can seep into the workplace and create a hostile environment. Update your harassment training, learn the language, and don’t dismiss complaints just because a term is unfamiliar.

EEOC sues NYT over white male discrimination

05/25/2026
Following Chair Andrea Lucas’s call for white men alleging reverse discrimination to contact the agency, the EEOC filed its first such lawsuit—against the New York Times. It claims the paper passed over a qualified white man for a deputy real estate editor role, letting DEI policy guide the selection. The Times denies the allegations.

3 cities pass nontraditional family workplace discrimination protections

05/25/2026
Oakland, Portland and Olympia have passed laws expanding antidiscrimination protections to nontraditional family structures—multigenerational households, multiple-family households and even polyamorous families. Employers operating in any of these West Coast cities should note the new coverage, which often spreads from cities to broader statewide protections within a few years.

Employment law risks HR can’t ignore this summer

05/25/2026
The summer of 2026 is shaping up to be challenging for HR. Speakers at LEAP 2026 outlined a landscape where the biggest risks no longer live in traditional compliance, but in everyday decisions—off-duty conduct, religious accommodation, layoffs, new state laws and workplace speech—where risk is increasingly situational and unpredictable.

Good news: Appeals court nixes idea that PIP is always adverse action

04/13/2026
Employers are free to manage their workforce through evaluations and, if work is found to be lacking in quantity or quality, create an improvement plan without worrying that constructive criticism will land them in court.

Beware discipline following a valid complaint

04/06/2026
There’s something inherently suspicious about following up a valid charge of discrimination or harassment with an almost immediate employment action against the employee who filed the initial claim. That smacks of retaliation.