New England Biz Law Update

Individuals making complaints to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) can now select a nonbinary “X” gender marker during voluntary self-identification questions. Making the announcement on Transgender Day of Visibility, the EEOC indicated it will allow employees filing discrimination claims ...

Here are seven key takeaways from a recent Equal Employment Opportunity Commission webinar about vaccinations. Stay vigilant when it comes to vaccination disputes 30 percent of all COVID-19-related EEOC charges filed by employees since April 2020 involved a vaccine dispute, ...

Federal officials are embarking on a new endeavor to protect workers from illness and injury from heat exposure after the Biden administration announced the move last year. The Occupational Safety and Health administration last week introduced its National Emphasis Program ...

Where a West Virginia business closed two of its art studio locations because of the governor’s Covid-19 executive order, its claim for lost business income and other expenses was denied because there was no material destruction or harm to its ...

As the world enters year three of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has issued a warning to employers of yet another risk to their businesses: caregiver discrimination claims. It is no surprise that the pandemic has ...

As international tensions rise, the issue of cyberattacks — and by extension preventing such attacks — becomes critical. So much so, in fact, that 78.95% of small business respondents to a new national survey from Provident Bank said that media ...

WorldatWork’s “2021 Total Rewards Inventory Programs & Practices” survey reveals compensation practices are starting to return to normal at most organizations. Market-based adjustments (not COLA) are rising to pre-pandemic levels and, similarly, hazard/call-in pay are beginning to level back down. ...

The Fair Labor Standards Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act are robust laws. For some employers, it’s not always clear when employee activities are protected under these laws. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently released guidance to ...

Hate symbols create a hostile work environment. Offensive imagery may include swastikas, confederate flags, 14/88 numerology, nooses, or other hostile slogans that target someone’s race or identity. Employees who are subjected to hate symbols in the workplace may have grounds ...

When faced with an OSHA citation, it is not uncommon for an employer to acknowledge that a rule was violated, accept the citation, pay the penalty, and move on. Often, evidence that a rule was violated is easily obtained by ...