President Donald Trump’s “Return to In-Person Work” executive order (EO) mandates that federal employees return to full-time office work. This EO effectively ended the widespread hybrid and remote work arrangements that had become common in the government sector. Federal agencies must now “take all necessary steps” to enforce in-person attendance. While the EO
Can you still have DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs? How about affirmative action plans? The Supreme Court’s June 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard garnered national attention in holding that Harvard’s admissions program, which used race as a factor in admissions, violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
Individual employees helped the government secure another successful year in False Claims Act (FCA) litigation, as both plaintiffs (whistleblowers) and individual defendants. The government collected more than $2.9 billion in FCA settlements and judgments. Of that, over $2.4 billion arose from qui tam suits. Over 970 qui tam suits were filed in 2024 — the
At some point, every employer will need to investigate an employee’s complaint. An investigation is an important tool that employers can use to fix a workplace problem and minimize liability. Or, an investigation can create extra risk for employers over and above the risk of the original workplace issue. That extra risk arises when an
What does the EEOC have to do with smart watches, rings, glasses, helmets and other devices that track bodily movement and other data? These devices, known as “wearables,” can track location, brain activity, heart rate, and other mental or physical information about the wearer, which has led some employers to require their employees to wear
When did you last look at your employee leave policies? As the calendar turns to a new year, new changes often arrive, and 2025 is no exception. Employers should take note of the recent updates to state leave laws that went into effect on January 1, 2025.
Here are some states have implemented new or
With inclement weather, snow flurries, and ice in the forecast, we thought it was best to dust off the old blog post and remind you about best practices to address weather-related issues when paying employees. We hope you all stay warm and safe. As always, your priority should be safety for your employees. Here’s a
Did you know that you can request files from OSHA? Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), employers, employees, and third parties have the right to request documents from OSHA’s inspection files. These records provide valuable insight into the evidence and reasoning behind OSHA’s decisions, including citations issued during site inspections. They can also be
The federal Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification Act (the WARN Act), generally requires that employers give workers 60 days’ written notice of any plant closings or mass layoffs. If employers do not comply with this requirement, then workers can recover backpay.
A recent decision from the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware addressed
Just what does an OSHA citation have to include? Section 9(a) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act requires that citations
“describe with particularity the nature of the violation, including a reference to the provision of the Act, standard, rule, regulation, or order alleged to have been violated.”
This statutory mandate is designed to ensure