Blogs

Employment Law

Now Under New Management – Is the EEOC Still Open for Business?

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was created by Congress with the enactment of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It is the agency tasked with enforcing federal job discrimination and harassment laws that prohibit discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, and genetic…

March 18, 2025

Employment Law

The DOGE Workforce Optimization Initiative: What Employers Need to Know

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Workforce Optimization Initiative (Initiative) is a federal initiative with a stated aim of improving government operations by implementing strategic workforce planning, integrating technology, and streamlining staffing structures. In today’s evolving workplace landscape, businesses must stay informed about workforce efficiency trends and government initiatives that may influence employment policies, recruitment,…

February 24, 2025

Employment Law

Cybersecurity and Remote Work: Protecting Employee and Company Data

Remote work has become a fixture in the modern workplace, offering employees flexibility while allowing companies to attract top talent regardless of location. However, this shift can come with heightened cybersecurity risks, exposing both employers and employees to potential data breaches, cyberattacks, and legal liabilities. Employers must balance cybersecurity measures with employee privacy rights while…

February 18, 2025

Employment Law

The Four-Day Workweek: Legal Considerations Every Employer Must Know

The four-day workweek is gaining traction as companies seek more ways to enhance business productivity, improve employee satisfaction, and attract top talent. Across various industries, companies are exploring the feasibility of condensing work hours, without reducing employee pay. However, before implementing a four-day workweek, employers should carefully consider the legal implications to ensure continued compliance…

February 12, 2025

Employment Law

What Employers Should Know – and Do – If Immigration Enforcement Agents Pay a Visit to Your Workplace

A day after being sworn into office as president, Donald Trump began to issue executive orders aimed at implementing his campaign promise to take decisive actions on immigration enforcement. One major change is the administration’s rescission of a longstanding policy that limited federal immigration enforcement activities in particularly sensitive locations, such as churches, schools, and…

February 4, 2025

Employment Law

Trump Signs Executive Order to Create Schedule F; NTEU Sues to Block It

Among the campaign promises made by Donald Trump in the run up to the 2024 presidential election was to radically restructure the federal workforce, in part, by taking away civil service protections from thousands of workers. It did not take Trump long to make good on that promise. On January 20, 2025, shortly after being…

January 24, 2025

Employment Law

What Employers Need to Know about the Virginia Minimum Wage Increase in 2025

Effective January 1, 2025, the Virginia state minimum wage increased by 3.4%, rising from $12.00 to $12.41 per hour. While this adjustment may seem modest, it represents a significant bump for employers navigating labor costs in a state where minimum wage changes are tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The 2025 increase keeps Virginia…

January 23, 2025

Employment Law

Kentucky Federal Court Vacates Biden Administration’s Title IX Final Rule

The Biden administration spent nearly two years crafting new regulations that attempted to make clear Title IX’s ban against discrimination “on the basis of sex” also included discrimination-based sex stereotypes, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Notwithstanding the U.S. Supreme Court’s conclusion in the Bostock case that the term “sex” included these other matters in…

January 15, 2025

Employment Law

Five Reasons to Update Your Employee Handbook in 2025

An employee handbook is a crucial tool for a business to communicate its policies, procedures, and expectations, and to ensure legal compliance. However, employee handbooks need to be reviewed and updated regularly to achieve these objectives. Here are five reasons to update your employee handbook in 2025: In addition, as workforces increase in numbers, businesses…

January 13, 2025

Employment Law

Wearable Technologies in the Workplace: What are the Risks for Employers?

It is becoming increasingly common for employers, especially in the construction, manufacturing, and warehousing sectors, to outfit workers with wearable technologies, or “wearables” — devices worn on the body to improve worker safety and productivity. Worker safety and productivity are becoming increasingly important line items for employers to control. Consider that the construction, manufacturing, and…

December 30, 2024