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School or Skills: How Employers Feel About ‘Tearing the Paper Ceiling’

In the fall of 2022, a coalition of nearly 50 organizations launched the “Tear the Paper Ceiling” campaign in an effort to convince employers to shed degree requirements for certain jobs. The thinking goes that such requirements are often unnecessary and not only make hiring more difficult than it has to be but also hold […]

What Is a Returnship?

In part 1 of this article, we explained what a “returnship” is. In short, it’s a recruiting program focused on individuals who are returning to the workforce after some form of extended absence. This may have been child-rearing or caregiving—two of the most common examples—but could be any number of other reasons as well. The […]

AI Discrimination: What EEOC Settlement with iTutorGroup, Inc., Means for Employers

Can artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning programs lead to discrimination claims? The simple answer is yes, and the recent settlement between the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and three integrated English-language tutoring companies known as iTutorGroup, Inc., confirms any doubts employers might have. Now more than ever, employers should carefully evaluate the benefits and […]

The Comeback of the Corporate Fitness Center

We all know the pandemic did a number on employees. More specifically, it isolated people from colleagues and friends at work. Over the last 3 years, those relationships have taken a big hit. However, now we’re starting to see two things: 1) Employers are (slowly) starting to bring employees back into the office (i.e., Disney’s […]

Alcoholism and ADA, FMLA Liability:What Employers Need to Know

by Brian Burbrink According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 17.6 million people — about one in 12 adults — abuse alcohol. Based on the statistics, odds are good that one or more of your employees suffers from alcoholism and may need treatment. The case illustrations below provide insight into avoiding liability […]

From Office Romance to Courtroom Drama: Lessons from ‘Presumed Innocent’

Raymond Horgan, the District Attorney of Kindle County, declares “it’s Rusty’s case,” in the premier of Apple TV+’s legal thriller, Presumed Innocent. The “case” concerns the brutal murder of Carolyn Polhemus, a respected prosecutor who had an affair with her coworker—the Rusty Sabich. Rusty justifies his assignment based on merit (i.e., he “is better” than […]

Cost

Hiring Freezes Most Common Cost-Containment Strategy During COVID-19

What a difference a few months make! At the beginning of 2020, all we could talk about was the candidate-driven market and how jobseekers held the upper hand in deciding who they worked for. Now, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, it seems employers are back in control, but they aren’t hiring.

Interactive Process Requires More Than Just Lip Service, But When is Enough Enough?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and similar state laws prohibit discriminating against a qualified employee or job applicant on the basis of an actual or perceived disability. The ADA requires you to engage in the interactive process with an employee who has requested an accommodation to determine if it will permit the individual to […]