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Welcome to another edition of Workplace News.
Managing employees continues to grow more challenging as new laws are enacted and courts expand worker rights. In the last few months alone, employers were asked to provide paid sick leave to certain Connecticut based employees, add additional anti-discrimination protections, and offer greater accommodations to employees needing assistance with their commute to work. At the same time, recent surveys found employee dissatisfaction at an all time high.
Many organizations find it difficult to stay abreast with these and other continuously changing developments. We can help.
Schaffer Law provides a full range of employee relations services, including HR assessments, employee opinion surveys, handbook reviews, and supervisory training, as well as compliance counseling, and litigation representation.
Because "work is our only business," you can count on us to help you with your workplace needs.
Thanks,
Scott
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Effective January 1, 2012, Connecticut became the first state to require paid sick leave. Employers should make sure their handbooks and policies, including those covering leaves of absence, paid time off, attendance, and notification requirements comply with the new law. Click here to learn more about your obligations.
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Millions of employees now use laptops and PDAs, such as IPhones and Blackberries, to perform their work. They often check their devices before leaving for work in the morning and after returning home in the evening. A recent case involved whether, under the "continuous workday rule," employees using electronic devices at home were entitled to be paid for the time spent commuting to and from the office because they worked prior to and after their commute. Read More
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A recent report by Gallup showed that people of all ages and income levels are increasingly unhappy with their supervisors, apathetic about their organizations, and detached from what they do. Gallup estimates this "disengagement" costs business about $300 billion per year in lost productivity. In a separate report from Right Management, a human resource consulting group, 84 percent of current employees plan to look for a new job in 2012. The results compare to a 2009 finding in which 60 percent of employees stated they intended to seek new employment. Read More
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Connecticut Prohibits Gender Identity Bias
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The Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act now prohibits discrimination based on "gender identity or expression." Gender identity or expression is defined as "gender related identity, appearance or behavior, whether or not that gender related identity, appearance or behavior is different from that traditionally associated with the person's physiology or assigned sex at birth." Read More
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Employers with at least one employee may no longer require an employee, or prospective employee, to consent to a request for a credit report that contains information about the employee's or prospective employee's credit score, credit account balances, payment history, savings or checking account balances, or savings or checking account numbers as a condition of employment unless one of several exceptions apply. Read More
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In a recent case, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals held that an employer's reasonable accommodation obligation extends to assisting employees with their commute to work. Nixon-Tinkelman v. NYC Dept of Health and Mental Hygiene, Case No. 10-3317-cv (2d Cir. Aug. 10, 2011). The obligation stems from both the American's with Disabilities Act and the federal Rehabilitation Act. Read More
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| Private sector employers subject to the National Labor Relations Act will be required to post a new notice informing employees of their rights under the Act, including the right to organize. After several delays, the Board has announced the notice must be displayed by April 30, 2012. Click Here to Learn More and Download Poster |
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