• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Discrimination / Harassment

Lunchroom food rules may lead to discrimination charges

02/09/2026
If you’ve had to create lunchroom rules based on what employees are bringing to eat or heating up in the microwave, it’s time to rethink that strategy. An employer recently paid $200,000 to a couple whose discrimination lawsuit began with a co-worker’s complaint about allegedly “pungent” Indian food and deteriorated from there.

EEOC alters rulemaking and litigation decision-making process

02/09/2026
The shift makes it more likely that changes championed by Chair Andrea Lucas will move forward faster than many expected, with less deliberation by other commissioners and agency staff.

EEOC rescinds 2024 harassment guidance

01/26/2026
The 2024 guidance was a 20-years-in-the-making comprehensive harassment guidance employers used to clarify their obligations under Title VII and other federal laws to prevent and remedy workplace harassment.

EEOC launches new PWFA lawsuit

01/26/2026
It’s becoming clear that the EEOC intends to use litigation as the preferred tool to enforce the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) until employers understand their obligation to accommodate pregnant workers in a way that preserves earnings whenever possible. To that end, the EEOC just sued U.S. Steel in a case that highlights how not to handle pregnancy at work.

Are you ready for the older Americans heading back to work?

01/26/2026
As an employer, you may be worried about hiring older workers. Questions may include: Are older applicants healthy enough to resume work? Do they possess the current skills necessary? How long will they stay? Unfortunately, practical as those concerns may be, legally they are irrelevant.

Pennsylvania launches hair discrimination and other worker-protection laws

01/20/2026
Beginning in early 2026, Pennsylvania workers have a new set of employment protections. One new law applies state-wide, while several other laws apply in major population hubs, such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Tackling the top HR problems in the first quarter

01/12/2026
The new year is here, and with it, the big HR headaches of the first quarter of 2026 are coming into focus. Here are some of the crucial issues we will be covering as the Trump administration enters its second full year.

Different treatment doesn’t always equal a hostile environment

01/12/2026
The Supreme Court recently concluded that if an employee was treated differently because of a protected characteristic, this was enough to warrant a jury trial in a discrimination case. Now, a federal appeals court has refused to extend that reasoning to a hostile work environment claim.

EEOC signals huge 2026 priority shift

01/12/2026
EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas told the Washington Post that the EEOC is ready to focus on stamping out discrimination resulting from diversity, equity and inclusion programs and anti-American bias. She also intends to streamline the agency’s Pregnant Workers Fairness Act regulations and revise harassment guidelines that protect transgender workers.

New Jersey moves to protect disparate-impact claims

01/12/2026
Agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are investigating fewer disparate-impact claims and scaling back lawsuits. That’s causing a backlash among state anti-discrimination agencies, which believe the disparate-impact liability theory is an important anti-discrimination tool. One state, New Jersey, has now taken action to preserve the ability to bring such lawsuits.