News & Insights

by Emily Gaston. The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) The ADA is a federal law enacted in 1990 that requires all places of “public accommodation” to be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Historically, this definition has included businesses generally open to the public, such as restaurants, movie theaters, schools, office buildings, recreation facilities, etc. In...

An employee tells you she is pregnant. After the initial rush of happiness and congratulations, is there anything else to consider? “No problem,” you say, “she’ll work as usual. If she needs time off for a doctor’s appointment, no big deal. When she’s on maternity leave, we’ll hire a temp.” But what happens if she...

Ebola is on the minds of many in recent months, so it is perhaps unsurprising that HR managers have been bombarded with questions about how their companies will respond. OSHA and the CDC have released guidelines for specific high-risk sectors primarily aimed at disease prevention and control, but little guidance exists for workplaces where the...

Last month the EEOC published new enforcement guidance on the application of federal laws prohibiting discrimination to pregnant employees in the workplace. The agency takes the position that employers must reasonably accommodate certain temporary impairments arising out of pregnancy that may be considered “disabilities” under the Americans with Disabilities Act. It further states that a...

Last week I received a rather unusual call from a good friend who is a VP of HR at a well-known company outside of Atlanta.  It seems that Sheryl (not her real name) had been the recipient of an email from an employee in another department.  This employee’s email contained info on someone else at...

Much of our advice to clients flows from observing two principles of human behavior, the first being: Angry people sue. Appreciating Principle #1 often helps employers navigate turmoil (or near-turmoil) with existing employees. Having patience and taking extra steps to manage employee expectations can sometimes avert or downgrade a brewing conflict, and proactively maintaining a...

I recently had lunch with a friend who is happily expecting her first child. While this is certainly an exciting time for her and her husband, she couldn’t help but be anxious about her company’s attitude concerning her pregnancy and the new arrival. Specifically, when she asked the company’s HR Manager about her options for...