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

Employment Law

Consensual quid pro quo still carries liability

08/13/2025
So-called quid pro quo sexual harassment occurs when the punishment happens when the quid—sexual activity—isn’t delivered and the employee is demoted or terminated. But there’s another version of quid pro quo harassment in which the pro quo is agreed to. Can the subordinate still sue for sexual harassment? The answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Lawsuit seeks to force EEOC to process gender-identity harassment claims

08/11/2025
Since the beginning of the Trump administration, the EEOC has done an about-face on recognizing gender identity as a protected class under Title VII.

Court rejects ‘indefinite’ ADA leave

08/11/2025
In recent years, federal courts have consistently sided with workers who have run out of leave and still need more time off before returning to work. However, there is a limit to how much time the disabled employee can take off.

4 religious accommodation steps that will help you avoid a lawsuit

08/04/2025
A recently filed EEOC lawsuit provides a timely reminder for employers regarding the religious accommodations process and why you must not ignore a now-two-year-old Supreme Court religious accommodation case involving time off for religious services.

Million-plus settlement for allowing reverse-discrimination talk

08/04/2025
After the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, it became clear that discriminating against a member of a majority is just like discrimination against a member of a minority group.

Protecting employee data in the age of AI and remote work

08/04/2025
The most common cause of data breaches isn’t hackers—it’s employees. For HR professionals, the risks are heightened. Personnel records often contain some of the most sensitive data a company holds.

Detailed personnel records defeat bias claim

07/28/2025
Employers who keep detailed personnel records that include objective, fact-driven performance reviews often win discrimination lawsuits soon after the employee sues.

Which DOL regs could vanish? Top 4 to watch

07/28/2025
The Department of Labor has identified over 60 regulations for elimination. These are the top four regulations slated for elimination that most affect employers.

Equal pay: Document how and why jobs differ

07/22/2025
The Equal Pay Act requires employers to pay members of each sex the same for performing work that is substantially the same. The only way for an employer to defend an EPA lawsuit is to prove that the jobs aren’t substantially similar—or that the pay difference is attributable to some factor other than sex.

EEOC resumes processing some gender-identity cases

07/21/2025
The EEOC has partially reversed course, resuming processing gender-identity cases but with additional agency review. According to an internal email from the EEOC’s director of field operations, Thomas Colclough, cases will again be processed, with limitations.