August 07, 2018
It is no secret that more U.S. workers are electing to put off retirement and remain in the workforce longer. Given the current labor shortage (lowest unemployment rate in 18 years), this is great news for companies as retaining experienced workers decreases turnover cost and provides immeasurable value in other areas of corporate performance.
December 01, 2017
The latest headlines confirm the 2016 findings published by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that workplace harassment too often goes unreported. The EEOC reports that “approximately 70% of the individuals who experienced harassment never even talked with a supervisor or manager,” meaning that they didn’t report it to their employer.
August 30, 2017
The ruling in the AARP v. EEOC case may be detrimental to employers and their healthcare plans because the EEOC may either reduce the percentage of its allowable inducement (or penalty) below 30% of the employee cost for participation in any employer-sponsored “wellness” program to be considered voluntary or possibly return to its former position that any reward or penalty renders participation involuntary.
June 20, 2017
Last week, in the case of EEOC v. Consul Energy, Inc., the Fourth Circuit affirmed a $586,860 judgment for a coal miner who claimed that his employer (Consul Energy) failed to accommodate his religious beliefs and constructively discharged him when it forced him to use a biometric hand scanner to monitor work hours.
April 18, 2017
Last week, Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) and Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) urged President Trump to rescind the new requirements of the revised EEO-1 form.
October 03, 2016
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) just released an updated EEO-1 reporting form that requires employers to provide employee pay data beginning in March 2018.
September 23, 2016
On Monday, September 19, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin issued an opinion finding that penalizing an employee by requiring the employee to pay the entire premium for participation in an employer’s healthcare plan if the employee refused to complete a voluntary health risk assessment to participate in the employer’s wellness program did not violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
June 27, 2016
The EEOC recently issued Proposed Enforcement Guidance to address national origin discrimination, which noted that 11% of the charges of discrimination received from the private sector allege national origin discrimination.
June 23, 2016
The EEOC issued its Final Rules on how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) apply to wellness programs employers offer that request health information from employees and their spouses.
June 20, 2016
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’ (EEOC) commissioned a Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace which concluded that the past 30 years of corporate training has had no effect on preventing workplace harassment.
April 19, 2016
If you have been following the news the last few weeks, you probably heard about North Carolina’s controversial new law that blocks local governments from allowing transgender individuals from using public restrooms that correspond with their gender identity.
March 10, 2016
Last week, the EEOC initiated two separate lawsuits against private employers alleging that the employers discriminated against employees on the basis of sexual orientation.
February 09, 2016
The EEOC’s thwarting of otherwise compliant wellness programs under the auspices of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a bone of contention for many in our industry, me included.
February 01, 2016
The White House, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), and Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced Friday, January 29, a new plan to address payment discrimination against women and minorities.