Real Life Employment Law
Nearly every day, executives and managers, and the in-house counsel and Human Resources professionals who work with them, are confronted with unanticipated questions regarding the workforce. Just when they think they have "seen it all," along comes a new and often stranger scenario involving an odd twist to an area they thought they fully understood. These individuals often find themselves back at square one when trying to construct an appropriate response and devise a creative solution to the problem presented. Sometimes these "Quirky Questions" can be resolved easily; other times, they implicate practical and legal issues that are not immediately apparent.
This Quirky Employment Questions Blog addresses unanticipated questions regarding the workforce.
We encourage you to submit your thoughts and reactions to the questions presented. We also encourage you to submit questions that you would like to see addressed, subject to these guidelines.
Stephen D. Bell
Michael Droke
Joseph W. Hammell
Sarah Andrews Herman
Ryan E. Mick
William J. Miller
Melissa Raphan
Gregory M. Saylin
Gabrielle Wirth
David C. SingerBLOG CONTACT INFO
E: Wirth.Gabrielle@dorsey.com
P: 714.800.1455
On July 1, 2023, Florida’s new law regulating immigration within the State of Florida became effective. Known as FL 1718, the law is far-reaching and will significantly affect most employers in the state. Especially affected are the agriculture, landscaping, hospitality, and construction industries which traditionally cannot meet their employment needs through the recruitment of U.S. workers or foreign workers with...
Around this time last year, Minnesota legalized edible products containing hemp-derived tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Now, Minnesota has gone “all in”—becoming the 23rd state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana and cannabis products. While personal use is not legal until August 1, 2023, several employment provisions in the bill take effect on July 1, 2023. The legalization of recreational marijuana involves...
Pay transparency laws are on the rise across the country. New York is currently one of four states and a growing number of municipalities to enact laws requiring employers to disclose salary and wage ranges in job advertisements. California, Colorado and Washington also require salary and wage range disclosures in job advertisements. Other states, including Connecticut, Maryland, Rhode Island and...
Following the Federal Reserve’s interest rate increases and the resulting volatility in the stock markets, economists and government officials continue to debate whether the country will experience a hard or soft landing, or no landing at all. While some sectors of the economy remain strong, others have begun to see layoffs. In the face of this uncertainty, employers facing the...
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is ending employers’ ability to remotely inspect I-9 documents on July 31, 2023. Employers will have an additional 30 days, until August 30, 2023, to ensure that all required physical inspection of identity and employment eligibility documents is completed. All U.S. employers must complete a form I-9 for every...
The Utah Legislature recently passed, and the Governor signed, The Vaccine and Immunity Passport Restrictions Act (“the Act”). This bill prohibits the use of vaccination or immunity status in public accommodations, governmental entities, and for employment decisions. Utah now follows Montana in prohibiting employment discrimination based on vaccine status. With such a small number of states taking this approach—and with...
Employers using automated decision-making systems, including artificial intelligence, algorithms, machine learning, and other tools (collectively, “ADMs”), in connection with employment decisions are on the precipice of a drastically changed landscape concerning such use. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) is preparing to issue its final strategic enforcement plan addressing the use of ADMs in employment. Additionally, states and localities are...
Employee reductions and terminations are an unfortunate result of economic downturns. Even during good economic times, many companies face the need to reduce their workforce or terminate the employment of individual employees. In such circumstances, employers may seek to offer severance pay in exchange for certain releases and promises by the departing employee requiring a severance agreement. The drafting of...
In the face of recent reductions-in-force and predictions of a recession (Harriet Torry & Anthony DeBarros, Economists Now Expect a Recession, Job Losses by Next Year, Wall St. J., Oct. 16, 2022), employment lawyers are dusting off their research regarding the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, 29 U.S.C. 2101 et seq., and similar state laws (the WARN Acts). These...
With the 2022 midterm elections fast approaching, and sky-high interest in voting this election cycle, more employers than ever may be considering their obligations to provide employees time off to vote. As it stands, 29 states require employers to provide some kind of voting leave. But with the rise in popularity of mail and early voting during the pandemic taking...
Erica ChenErica is an associate in the Costa Mesa office of Dorsey & Whitney and a member of the firm’s Labor and Employ...
Jack SullivanJack is a Partner in Dorsey’s Labor & Employment group, where he focuses his practice on employment adv...
Ieva AubinAs an employment and business immigration attorney, ...
Michael DrokeMike started his career as a client, not a lawyer...
Matt DurhamMatt defends employers in Utah and throughout the ...
Aaron GoldsteinAaron is a Partner in Dorsey’s Labor & Employ...
Josh HughesJosh’s experience spans trial and appellate advoc...
Jillian KornblattJillian is a Partner in Dorsey’s Labor & Employ...
Laura LestradeLaura began practicing at Dorsey in 1992 and has s...
Ryan MickFor more than a decade, Ryan has counseled corpo...
Nick PappasNick litigates and counsels with respect to com...
Melissa RaphanMelissa is a Partner in Dorsey’s Labor and Employ...
Gabrielle WirthEmployers turn to Gabrielle for guidance on how they...
