I am getting ready to conduct a series of trainings for a client in sexual harassment law, how to avoid sexual harassment in the workplace, and how to manage an investigation should a complaint of sexual harassment be alleged. The first thing that I would...
This week we are talking about the issue of criminal background checks for employees. Do we perform criminal background checks on new employees and existing employees? If you missed part one of this post, you can read it here. Now the question is what should...
A while back I had a post on this blog about “ban the box,” which is a legislative effort being undertaken nationwide to eliminate the question on job applications related to criminal history. Check out that post here, but this post targets the issue of...
We are back on the topic of drug screenings for employees. How can we ensure that our policies are fair and reasonable? If you missed part 1 of this series, you can read it here. In Maryland we have an interesting situation because the use of...
I recently had a client ask me a question about a drug and alcohol testing policy. This particular client actually has a very specific need. They have employees who are driving vehicles on public roads. They have employees who are going to be in people’s...
I want to talk for a moment about a legislative campaign called “Ban the Box.” Essentially, Ban the Box is a prohibition on asking job applicants if they have been convicted of a crime. Most job applications have a question: have you ever been convicted...
I am often called to review employee manuals to ensure both their legal compliance and make an opinion about what is appropriate and what’s not. Many employers are interested in legal support for their Employee Manuals to determine what kinds of policies can help protect...
A couple of days ago I met with a client who is dealing with some changes to her employee manual. This is a creative firm and one the questions she had was: what are the intersections between non-compete agreements and freelance work by her creative...
Recently, a U.S. Appellate Court in Pennsylvania issued what is likely the most important employment law case this year. The case, which had some pretty heinous harassment by a supervisor, is probably the first case of significance to directly address some of the issues brought...