Policies / Handbooks

Natty dread: Avoid grooming rules that ban religious hairstyles

07/19/2024

Last year’s blockbuster Supreme Court opinion in Groff v. DeJoy required employers to accommodate almost all religious accommodations requested by employees. However, it’s clear that many employers haven’t yet revamped their policies in light of the ruling—and that’s triggering a flurry of EEOC complaints and religious-discrimination lawsuits.

Prepare to pay up if you insist on English fluency or prohibit other languages on the job

07/15/2024

While English is the dominant U.S. language, it certainly isn’t the only one spoken in our multicultural society. In fact, employers that insist on English fluency or prohibit speaking another language at work may find themselves running afoul of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and other employment laws, as one employer recently discovered.

Rebrand DEI to attract applicants (and avoid lawsuits)

06/10/2024

Employers have begun reassessing their DEI programs—and sometimes abandoning them. However, many employers have responded by revamping and rebranding their DEI programs.

Court: Your policy can require employees to keep ‘spy cams’ turned on

05/28/2024

A federal court has upheld an employer’s handbook rule requiring full-time camera monitoring of employees. The ruling is a victory for employers who want to track the behavior of employees they can’t directly observe.

‘This is a business’: Google CEO fired back and fired protesting employees

05/08/2024

Employees have the right to think whatever they want to think and hold whatever opinions they want to hold. But when employees act on those opinions in a way that disrupts their workplace and their employer’s business, they’ve crossed the line and should be held accountable … not for their beliefs, but for their actions.

CROWN Act alert: Ensure grooming rules don’t perpetuate hairstyle bias

05/03/2024

One of the fastest-growing legal anti-discrimination trends is an effort to outlaw discrimination on the basis of employees’ hairstyles. So far, efforts to pass a national law have proven unsuccessful. However, that hasn’t stopped the EEOC from pursuing litigation against employers accused of natural hair discrimination, as a recent case shows.

Set moonlighting policy that fits today’s workplace

05/01/2024

About 5.3% of American workers have more than one job, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s up sharply since May 2020, when only 4% had two or more jobs.

Ensure dress code doesn’t cause discrimination

04/08/2024

If you haven’t reviewed and revised your employee handbook’s dress and grooming policy lately, now is a good time to look for antiquated rules that could trigger lawsuits. That’s especially true if a supervisor tries to enforce out-of-date and potentially discriminatory standards. That’s a lesson one employer recently learned when a supervisor insisted women wear pantyhose and forego cosmetic embellishments that had religious and cultural significance to an employee.

Control March Madness by setting policy on workplace gambling

03/18/2024

In many companies, bracket-pool betting on the tournament is a time-honored tradition. Should you worry?

Get out the vote: Create a voting leave policy

03/15/2024

Were you prepared for the elections that just took place in March? Were your employees clear on when they could take time to vote? Make sure you are prepared come November by implementing a policy or scrutinizing your current one. You can encourage voter turnout by implementing a voting-leave policy that shows employees you take the right to vote seriously.