A recent denial of unemployment benefits in Berglund v Industrial Technology Institute (7/21/2011) offers important insight for both employers and employees when it comes to accessing Internet pornography in the workplace and technology use policies.
Under Michigan law, an employee is disqualified from receiving unemployment benefits if he
While the criminal charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn have now been dismissed, his conduct and his employer’s response provides a textbook full of examples of how not to respond to sexual harassment in the workplace.
Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, there are two basic forms of actionable sexual harassment:
Under existing law, employers may avoid liability for hostile environment sexual harassment by supervisors under certain circumstances. But a “trailblazing” company may be challenging the status quo with a “too ugly to sexually harass” defense.
To avoid liability for sexual harassment for hostile environment harassment by supervisors under Title
The Wall Street Journal (by Joe Light) recently reported that departing employees are more disgruntled than ever. The article notes that based on exit interviews of more than 4,300 employees from 80 companies:
More than three-quarters of departing employees say they wouldn’t recommend their employer to others, the worst percentage in at least five years
This blog previously noted that the Sixth Circuit (the federal circuit that includes Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee) would likely change its standard for analyzing claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) from a stricter standard to a less demanding standard that favors employees. Americans with Disabilities Act: The Times They are (likely) a Changin.’
On May 24, 2011, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments went into effect, which were the result of the 2008 ADA Amendments Act signed into law by President Bush.
Without question, the ADA Amendments make it easier for individuals to establish coverage. In fact, Congress overturned several U.S. Supreme Court decisions that had narrowly interpreted the
A recent employment discrimination claim highlights that employers and their lawyers still struggle with e-discovery preservation obligations.
In Haraburda v. Arcelor Mittal USA, Inc.(N.D. Ind. 6/28/2011) (PDF) the defendant former employer was ordered by the Court to implement a broad litigation hold to preserve information that may be discoverable (i.e., information that relates or may
This week marked the beginning of Ramadan, which is the Islamic month of fasting. Participating Muslims generally refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours. Ramadan is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and submissiveness to God.
It is also a good reminder for the need to understand restrictions against religious discrimination