Policies / Handbooks

CROWN Act spreads among the states in effort to prevent race discrimination

08/11/2023

Texas recently became the 21st state to add natural hairstyle protection to its laws prohibiting discrimination in employment. It’s part of a legislative trend to enact what are called CROWN Acts.

How to protect against the coming explosion of anti-DEI lawsuits

07/31/2023

When the U.S. Supreme Court in June struck down Harvard University’s affirmative action admissions plan, it wrote that “[e]liminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.” Now employers with diversity, equity and inclusion programs worry that their efforts to achieve a diverse workplace will come under attack, too.

California might mandate workplace violence policies

07/10/2023

The California State Senate just passed SB 553, legislation that requires all employers with at least one employee to develop workplace violence-prevention plans and policies.

Avoid retaliation lawsuits with these 4 best practices

06/15/2023

Retaliation claims brought by unhappy employees—or really, really unhappy former employees—continue to trouble employers nationwide. Here are four recommendations for setting up systems that can help prevent retaliation claims in the first place and—acknowledging that no system can prevent all such claims—at least help the organization establish and prove possible defenses to claims of retaliation that do arise.

Ensure records-retention rule covers work files stored on employees’ personal devices

06/05/2023

You probably have a policy that calls for disposing of records after a certain period of time. Having a routine protocol to shred, delete or burn documents helps control clutter and make it easier to locate documents you don’t dispose of. However, every employer needs another automatic rule that calls for retaining documents that may relate to legal matters that may arise.

Checklist: Make sure your handbook includes all these elements

05/30/2023

Are you sure your handbook includes every crucial provision? From a legal perspective, there are certain must-have elements that belong in every handbook. Here’s a checklist that will help you sleep well knowing you didn’t miss something important—and keep you out of court.

Distracted Gen Zers? Maybe it’s the moonlighting

05/30/2023

Do your Gen Z employees seem a little more preoccupied and absent-minded than usual these days? The problem might be their other jobs—driving for rideshare companies, selling stuff online, influencing on social media and otherwise engaging in part-time work. According to a recent study by the Deloitte consulting firm, almost half of nearly 15,000 Gen Z workers surveyed hold down a second job or side hustle.

Ensure your handbook leaves out details about benefits

05/22/2023

Your handbook probably states you reserve the right to amend it at any time for any reason. That disclaimer helps protect against claims that your handbook is a binding contract. But that kind of language can cause problems if your handbook describes benefits that may be covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

Beware dress codes with gender-specific rules

05/15/2023

If your dress and grooming code includes gender-specific requirements, you could be courting a sex-discrimination lawsuit.

Two legal must-haves for your employee handbook

05/12/2023

Compiling and updating your employee handbook is a daunting task that gets longer every day as employers grapple with a growing list of laws and policies to include in this document. But according to one legal counsel and another HR expert who presented at a recent employment law conference, there are only two legally mandated provisions that must be included in your handbook: information on the FMLA and an anti-harassment policy.