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

Employment Law

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.

Considering offering temporary telework? It needn’t become permanent

01/12/2026
Employers are often urged to determine reasonable accommodations quickly to avoid being accused of slowing the process as a way to avoid their obligations. But employers also naturally fear that if they temporarily approve an accommodation, they’re stuck with it forever. Fortunately, that’s not the case, as a recent decision shows.

NLRB’s expanded damages face Supreme Court showdown—or reversal

01/12/2026
Three appellate circuits have rejected the NLRB’s authority to award unfair labor practices damages, while one circuit—covering eight states—has upheld it. Now, an employer operating in one of those states is asking the Supreme Court to step in and resolve the growing divide.

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.

Why you need to update job descriptions annually

01/05/2026
While no federal law specifies that employers must provide each employee with an up-to-date job description, it’s a serious mistake not to do so.

Age-discrimination firing costs company $103 million

01/05/2026
In what is believed to be the largest jury verdict ever for age discrimination, insurer Liberty Mutual was slammed with a $103 million verdict for firing an older worker returning from medical leave and replacing her with a 20-something new hire.

EEOC chair deploys X to invite complaints

01/05/2026
In an unprecedented move, EEOC chair Andrea Lucas has taken to social media site X to solicit current or former employees to file complaints against their employers.

EEOC settles claim foreign workers treated better than American workers

01/05/2026
The EEOC has recently made it clear that an enforcement priority going forward is protecting American workers from discrimination in favor of foreign workers. The agency updated its webpage portal for national-origin discrimination and provided a one-page information sheet directed at American workers who think they may have experienced national-origin discrimination.