Does it seem like you are dealing with more mental health issues in your workforce? If so, you are not alone. Recent mental health claim statistics show an alarming increase in chronic illnesses since the pandemic. For adults between the ages of 35 and 44, mental illness diagnoses have increased from 48% in 2019 to
Discrimination
No More Adjectives… Just Some Harm: Supreme Rules on Title VII Job Transfer Threshold
If you transfer an employee to a job with no loss in pay or title but the employee thinks it is less desirable, can that employee sue you for discrimination under Title VII? While it depends on the facts, in Muldrow v. St. Louis, the U.S. Supreme Court held that an employee challenging a…
11th Circuit Puts to Sleep Florida Anti-Woke Law Prohibiting Certain Workplace Training
You may recall that in 2021 the State of Florida, in a much-publicized move, passed a law called the “Stop W.O.K.E. Act,” which banned Florida employers from mandating employee attendance to any training or instruction that “espouses, promotes, advances, inculcates, or compels” a certain set of beliefs regarding the treatment of individuals based on race…
New Boss Is Definitely Not the Same as the Old Boss: 7th Circuit Allows Age Discrimination Claim to Go Forward
Changes in supervision may result in fresh ways of doing things. Certain rules that were never fully enforced may now come to the forefront. Can a new supervisor’s radical change in a long-term employee’s performance rating be the basis for a claim of pretext in an employment discrimination claim? The Seventh Circuit appears to say…
Points Matter: Absenteeism Policy Overcomes Racial Discrimination Allegations in Fifth Circuit
As this blog has consistently noted in the past, one of the most effective ways to combat unfounded allegations in the workplace is diligent record-keeping. Many employers have “point-based” disciplinary policies in which certain violations earn an employee points that are reflected in their personnel record. Once an employee reaches a certain level of points…
Fly High (and Out of the EEOC’s Eye) by Updating Your Policies on Pregnancy Accommodation and Lactation
Everyone has been preparing for the recently enacted Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the PUMP Act. Earlier this month the EEOC gave us another reason to make sure our policies are up to snuff. Frontier Airlines and the EEOC reached a settlement on claims filed in 2018 and 2019, which alleged that Frontier discriminates…
Holidays and Happier at Work: Tips for Creating a Mentally Healthy Workplace
First and foremost, happy holidays. The Bradley team wishes you all a joyous and restful holiday season. Also, thank you to everyone who joined in for the Fourth Quarter Breakfast with Bradley. For those of you who missed it, we talked about ways to improve mental health in the workplace. You can find the recording…
Addressing Workplace Harassment: Insights into EEOC’s Proposed Enforcement Guidance
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently introduced proposed enforcement guidance aimed at further clarifying and strengthening measures against harassment in the workplace. The 144-page guidance outlines strategies and policies the EEOC believes are necessary to prevent and address workplace harassment based on any protected status (i.e., race, gender, national origin, disability, religion, age, and genetic…
Cracking Down: The EEOC’s Strategic Plan for the Coming Years
Recently, the EEOC announced its top priorities for the coming years in its Strategic Plan for 2022-2026. We hit the highlights of the goals and plans for implementation below so that you can start preparing for the upcoming enforcement strategies.
Goal 1: Remedy employment discrimination and obtain relief for victims of discrimination
The…
Ultimatum on Ultimate Employment Decisions: Fifth Circuit Expands Standard on Adverse Employment Decisions Under Title VII
If you are an employer covered by the federal Fifth Circuit (Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi), you are probably familiar with the “ultimate employment decision” standard: In determining whether an employee suffered an adverse action under Title VII, you look to only “ultimate” decisions (e.g., hiring, termination, non-promotion). The landscape has just changed. In…