Policies / Handbooks

No cannabis testing for NYC employers starting in 2020

06/13/2019

If you are a New York City employer, now is the time to ensure your drug testing policies and job applications do not mention testing for marijuana or THC.

Ensure dress code allows for religious needs

06/11/2019

Your dress code must allow some leeway for religious exemptions. The EEOC takes religious discrimination seriously and has been aggressively going after employers that enforce dress codes that unnecessarily restrict employees’ faith-mandated attire.

Suspend attendance amnesty during FMLA

05/31/2019

Many employers let employees “work off” points they rack up for absenteeism and tardiness. A new federal court ruling says employers may stop the clock from ticking while an employee is out on FMLA leave.

New state lactation accommodation requirements may be coming to California

04/30/2019

California Senate Bill 142 would amend building codes to require new commercial buildings and those undergoing improvements costing over $1 million to include designated lactation spaces for employees.

Beware unreasonably tight deadlines for filing internal reports of sexual harassment

03/26/2019

The EEOC believes overly strict time limits tend to discourage reporting and absolve supervisors of responsibility for reporting. Plus, it may embolden harassers to repeat their harassment or escalate it.

The ‘silver bullet’ reason to make your employee handbook electronic

03/25/2019

We all know that an employee handbook confined to paper form can be tedious and expensive to update, but the reasons to consider a switch to an electronic format go far beyond cost and time considerations. “I really can’t emphasize one thing enough,” employment law attorney Anniken Davenport told a webinar audience in January, “which is that a properly implemented electronic version will allow management to track which employee accessed which section of the handbook, and when.”

Lawsuit alert: Beware disciplining for infractions of seldom-enforced rules

03/15/2019

Sometimes, supervisors get frustrated with workers they consider trouble makers because they complain all the time. Those bosses need to think twice before they retaliate by strictly enforcing work rules—especially if they have often ignored those rules in the past.

Have a hotline? Take all complaints seriously

03/06/2019

Most employers have heard that setting up a hotline so employees can report discrimination will help them defend against lawsuits later. But that hotline can also bite the employer if it doesn’t take complaints seriously and try to fix reported problems.

NYC is first to ban bias on the basis of hairstyles

02/26/2019

The New York City Commission on Human Rights has issued guidance making clear that the city considers discrimination on the basis of someone’s hairstyle to be a subset of race discrimination.

No-fighting rule? Punish combatants equally

02/22/2019

You probably have a rule against any form of violence in the workplace. Make sure you uniformly discipline everyone involved in any altercation.