The COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on the mental health of employees. Employees struggled to adjust to the multiple burdens of working from home, caring for family members and achieving work-life balance.
Continue Reading Mental health claims on the rise: New normal for disability-related charges?
EEOC
Caring for caregivers: Understanding caregiver discrimination under federal laws
As we enter the third year of a pandemic, the ongoing disruption caused by COVID-19 and its variants often leaves employers juggling legal and business considerations regarding their workforce. Specifically, many employees are also caregivers — whether they are caring for children, a spouse, an individual with a disability or older relatives. …
Continue Reading Caring for caregivers: Understanding caregiver discrimination under federal laws
EEOC receiving influx of COVID-19 related claims
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has received thousands of claims related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of these claims are related to disability discrimination and accommodations. …
Continue Reading EEOC receiving influx of COVID-19 related claims
EEOC issues guidance on COVID-19 vaccine religious accommodation requirements
As the rate of COVID-19 cases continues to trend downward in most parts of the country, and employers begin to relax mask policies and encourage employees’ return to the office, COVID-19-related issues remain at the forefront — including employee vaccination status. On March 1, 2022, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its COVID-19 guidance regarding religious objections to employer vaccine requirements.
Continue Reading EEOC issues guidance on COVID-19 vaccine religious accommodation requirements
EEOC revises guidance regarding religious accommodations for COVID-19 requirements
As employers across the country have begun to implement COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently updated its guidance regarding religious accommodations. As a reminder, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act states that an employee may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation from a workplace requirement if the employee has a sincerely-held religious belief, practice or observance that prevents the employee from adhering to the requirement. …
Continue Reading EEOC revises guidance regarding religious accommodations for COVID-19 requirements
EEOC issues guidance documents to commemorate LGBTQ+ Pride Month
In honor of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently released a number of resources to educate employers, employees and applicants about the right to be free from sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in employment. Although these resources simply restate existing law and policy, they are a great refresher for employers that want to ensure they are complying with federal employment discrimination law.
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Continue Reading EEOC issues guidance documents to commemorate LGBTQ+ Pride Month
EEOC guidance on vaccine incentives
On May 28, 2021, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued updated guidance on COVID-19 vaccination and discrimination law. Specifically, EEOC stated that employers can offer employees incentives, economic or otherwise, to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination.
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Continue Reading EEOC guidance on vaccine incentives
State law may impact employer vaccine policies
Employers considering whether to adopt a mandatory vaccine policy should be alert to recently-enacted and pending legislation regulating workplace vaccine policies in certain states. As we reported last month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued guidance for employers to consider before adopting a mandatory vaccine policy.
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Continue Reading State law may impact employer vaccine policies
EEOC releases fiscal year 2020 charge and litigation data: Retaliation claims continue to dominate
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently released its fiscal year 2020 statistics of charges filed and resolved on behalf of charging parties. There were 67,448 charges filed in fiscal year 2020, a reduction from the previous year and the lowest number of charges filed since at least 1992. While part of this drop may be explained by the COVID-19 pandemic, there has also been a decrease in charges filed each year since 2016.
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Continue Reading EEOC releases fiscal year 2020 charge and litigation data: Retaliation claims continue to dominate
EEOC proposes new wellness program rules under the ADA and GINA which may limit employers’ efforts to incentivize COVID-19 vaccination
The attorneys behind the Employer Law Report Blog present the final part of our three-part series on the COVID-19 vaccine and employer considerations.
On Jan. 7, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) proposed new rules that would apply to employer wellness programs under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). Some commentators have suggested that these rules may affect employers who plan to offer an incentive to encourage employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Less than two weeks later, the Biden Administration issued a regulatory freeze and instructed agencies to withdraw unpublished rules, including the proposed wellness program rules. For now, it is important to be aware of the rules because they may indicate the direction the EEOC intends to take when the freeze is lifted.…