By Neil H. Deutsch | Published September 15, 2023 | Posted in Employment Law | Tagged Tags: Groff v. DeJoy, religious burden, Supreme Court | Comments Off on High Court Lightens Employees’ Burden of Proof in Religious Bias Cases
Freedom of religion is a constitutional right and faith is an important part of the lives of many Americans. For some of the particularly devout, religious duties and practices can impact their jobs in ways that might not be entirely consistent with their employers’ modes of operating. Employers are required to make reasonable accommodations for Read More
Read MoreLike millions of Americans, you might use social media frequently to relate news about social events or personal accomplishments, or just to comment on current affairs. Although you share these posts with a wide audience, you probably never think the material could one day become evidence in court. Yet, that is quite the possibility. In Read More
Read MorePregnancy poses special challenges for working women. If you’re a pregnant worker, you might need to change your work space, forego or modify some of your normal tasks or take off work for medical care. However, employers are not always willing to make all of the accommodations that may be needed. Fortunately, a new federal Read More
Read MoreSexual harassment plagues workplaces across the country, from corporate offices to fast-food restaurants. Perhaps surprisingly, the transition to remote work prompted by the Covid pandemic has not abated the problem. Although lack of physical contact would seem to present fewer opportunities for one person to harass another, workers are often victimized by online sexual harassment. Read More
Read MoreState and federal laws protect employees from discrimination on account of their religion or other protected personal characteristics. However, there is a major exception. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2012 ruled that the First Amendment’s Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses prevent courts from applying anti-discrimination laws to religious organizations hiring or firing ministers. For example, Read More
Read MoreMass layoffs can hit workers at even the largest companies, whether as the result of economic conditions or mismanagement or both. Downsizing is worse still when it takes workers by surprise, leaving them no time to prepare for finding new employment. Federal and state laws are in place to ease the transition for workers in Read More
Read MoreThousands of people are hired in New Jersey every year to work in warehousing, manufacturing, transportation and other fields — many by temp agencies who farm them out on a contract basis. Temp workers historically have been denied protections afforded to permanent employees, making them vulnerable to wage theft, unfair working arrangements and other abuses Read More
Read MoreThe MeToo movement has succeeded in exposing, in vivid detail, the ways in which powerful people committed acts of sexual harassment, sometimes for decades, without suffering consequences. The perpetrators of these acts were often the victims’ bosses or others in positions of authority. As such, victims who agreed to monetary settlements instead of taking legal Read More
Read MoreThe use of artificial intelligence tools in the modern workplace has sparked all sorts of reactions, from people warning that AI will replace white collar workers to people urging workers to think of AI as a job aid they can use to become more productive. But one of the questions for lawmakers right now has Read More
Read MoreNon-compete agreements limit employees’ options after they leave a job. Sometimes the non-compete might have a geographic restriction, stopping an employee from working within a certain radius or in nearby cities or counties. Other times, the contract might prevent an employee from working for specific competitors or in certain lines of business. The intent of Read More
Read More