Federal anti-discrimination laws require employers to offer certain accommodations to employees– such as employees with disabilities. This accommodation requirement also extends to an employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs. It may not be clear, however, exactly...
Employment
Creating a Reporting Policy Your Employees Will Use
In an ideal world, no one would have to deal with harassment or discrimination in the workplace. However, there will likely come a time when many employers will need to address employee concerns with either harassment, discrimination, or both, in the workplace....
What do you know about offering severance pay?
There may come a time when you must lay off some of your employees. If that happens, do you know what to consider for their severance packages? Points to ponder There is no law in Minnesota requiring that employers pay terminating or resigning employees a severance....
EEOC Resumes Issuing Right-to-Sue Notices That Were Suspended Due to COVID-19
On August 3, 2020, federal agencies that process charges of discrimination resumed issuing right-to-sue notices that were held in abeyance due to COVID-19. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which investigates claims of workplace discrimination, and...
Sexual Orientation and Transgender Status Receive Unequivocal Protection under Title VII
On June 15, 2020, the United States Supreme Court handed down what is aptly described as a landmark equal rights decision. The Court announced that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does indeed prohibit discrimination on the basis of an employee’s sexual...
Minnesota Supreme Court decision signals change in way courts view harassment claims
In early June 2020, the Minnesota Supreme Court issued an opinion affirming the “the severe-or-pervasive standard” for analyzing a claim of sexual harassment under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, but also ruled in that case that the employee presented sufficient...
Minnesota Supreme Court Limits Right Of Public Employers To Restructure Operations When Doing So Threatens Elimination Of Union
In the recent case of Firefighters Union Local 4725 v. City of Brainerd, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that despite a provision in the Public Employment Labor Relations Act (PELRA) that allows public employers to restructure their operations without an obligation...
Minnesota Enacts Wage Theft Law and Increases Employers’ Wage and Hour Obligations
Minnesota's just passed perhaps the greatest change to Minnesota wage and hour law in recent years. The law greatly expands employee protections, creates additional administrative requirements for employers, and imposes criminal penalties for employers that engage in...
Look Boss, No Hands! Minnesota’s New Hands Free Driving Law and its Impact on Employers
Beginning on August 1, 2019, Minnesota will join many other states and begin enforcement of a new law that requires hands free operation of a mobile device while driving a motor vehicle. The law recognizes the public safety issue and the fact that technology has...
The Department of Labor Proposed to Significantly Raise the Minimum Salary Requirements for Certain Exempt Employees (Again!)
No, this is not an old article from 2016. But it does revisit a hot topic from just over two years ago that had the business community clambering. As most employers recall, a little over two years ago owners, managers, and human resource personnel were bracing for the...