Archives

Manager mistakes account for the majority of employee dissatisfaction yet most managers never consider how their behavior affects their team.

I am not an expert in managing employees.  But I do have a unique perspective because employees come to me when they are at their wit’s end with their jobs. We are generally an employee’s last resort.  Not all the clients …

Read more ›

Employees may unknowingly commit data theft in gathering evidence to support their claims.

Many clients come to us with a stack of documents to support their claims.  This is almost always worrisome because those documents likely came from their employers’ computer systems.   These well-meaning clients may have unknowingly undermined their own claims and subjected themselves to potential liability for data theft.

As …

Read more ›

Those of us who represent employees know that Weinstein-esque sexual harassment happens all the time.

While Hollywood is wringing its hands over the more than 63 women who have alleged Harvey Weinstein raped, sexually assaulted or sexually harassed them those of us who practice employment civil rights were not surprised at all.  (also, as an aside, can we stop calling it …

Read more ›

September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness month and, this weekend, our Firm is helping our young friend Benjamin Brave and his family raise money to support pediatric cancer research and provide assistance to families who face the daunting financial ramifications of cancer treatment.

8 year old Benjamin was diagnosed with leukemia almost two years ago when his mom took him to his …

Read more ›

Despite President Trump’s repeated campaign promises to protect LGBTQ employees he is doing the exact opposite.  

I’ve tried to keep on open mind about this presidency.  I really have.  When President Trump promised during his campaign that he was going to protect LGBTQ people, I thought there was a *small* chance he might actually keep that promise.  Yet he has …

Read more ›

Clients and potential clients tell us all the time that they think they have been the victim of a “wrongful termination.”  Oftentimes, what employees actually mean when they say “wrongful” is unfair or baseless.  And, every time a client or potential client tell us this we have to tell them that there is no independent legal claim for wrongful termination.

I …

Read more ›

Some say the Working Families Flexibility Act benefits employees while others worry employers will use it to cheat employees out of wages.

This week the House of Representatives passed the Working Families Flexibility Act which would amend the FLSA’s overtime regulations and give employers the option of offering employees comp time instead of overtime.

The Act would allow employers to offer employees comp time (more vacation time) …

Read more ›

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals hands down a seminal ruling holding that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects LGBT employees from workplace discrimination.

I have long bemoaned the fact that federal law does not protect LGBT employees from discrimination. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act outlaws discrimination based on “sex” but courts have always interpreted that to refer …

Read more ›

Recording workplace conversations will bring you nothing but heartache.

Many of the clients or potential clients with whom I speak tell me that they either have been or are currently surreptitiously recording workplace conversations.  They are usually so excited when they tell me this because they assume the recording will be a smoking-gun piece of evidence to support their claims.  I cringe every …

Read more ›

Employment Law Optimism

Because the world feels just a teensy bit tense lately, we are going to start every week with a list of Monday Morning Good Things for Employees–a compilation of the previous weeks’ good news.  Last week, proving good things often come from chaos, there seemed to be quite a bit of good news for employees.

• LGBTQ employment rights (in the federal sector at least) live to see another day. Despite …

  Read more ›