The EEOC has sued an Arkansas Kroger after it fired two of its employees for allegedly objecting to its new dress code that required employees to wear an apron that contained rainbow-colored heart insignia.
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
“Religious freedom” ≠ freedom to discriminate (but sometimes it must be accommodated anyway)
The EEOC has sued an Arkansas Kroger after it fired two of its employees for allegedly objecting to its new dress code that required employees to wear an apron that contained rainbow-colored heart insignia.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Monday, September 21, 2020
Coronavirus Update 9-21-2020: the CDC continues to create a mess for employers on testing; and a word on RBG
Last Friday, the CDC yet again updated its guidance for COVID-19 testing. If you're keeping count, this is the CDC's fifth set of testing rules.
What's changed?
Due to the significance of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission, this guidance further reinforces the need to test asymptomatic persons, including close contacts of a person with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, September 18, 2020
Coronavirus Update 9-18-2020: advocacy for others as protected conduct under the ADA
In Kirilenko-Ison v. Board of Education of Danville Independent Schools, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals held that an employee who engages in advocacy with their employee regarding the rights of a disabled third-party engages in activity that the ADA protects from retaliation.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Thursday, September 17, 2020
Coronavirus Update 9-17-2020: The pandemic plight of working moms
There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on employees. A recent report published by Policy Matters Ohio illustrates just how tough it's really been.
- Ohio had fewer jobs in April 2020 (4,704,000) than at any time in the past 30 years.
- At the height of COVID-related unemployment, 31.7% of Ohio workers were out of work because of employer layoffs, furloughs, and closures.
- Unemployment peaked at 17.3%
- While unemployment and jobless numbers are starting to rebound, there are still nearly 600,000 fewer jobs in Ohio now than at the start of millennium.
- Working moms with young children reduced their work hours four to five times as much as fathers did nationally, widening the work hours gap between men and women by 20-50%.
- The current recession has increased the gender pay gap by five percent, seven points higher than what we typically experience in other recessions (in which the gender pay gap is normally reduced by two percent).
Men and women are about equally likely to be able to work from home, but the burden of new unpaid care work falls especially heavily on women.… Added child-caregiving responsibilities are competing with women’s paid work and in some cases forcing women out of the labor force altogether, with consequences for their careers that could be permanent. Women may never recover the career losses they face to support their families’ child care needs through the crisis. The pay gap with men, which has been narrowing over recent decades, could be wrenched open once more for years to come.
What is an employer to do?
- Remind supervisors and managers that family responsibility discrimination is illegal. While Title VII does not expressly include “family responsibility” as a protected class, the EEOC has long held that Title VII’s prohibits discrimination against parents as parents if you are treating some more favorably than others (e.g., dads better than moms, or men better than moms). There are also, a few states that expressly prohibit parental discrimination. If, for example, you have to make decisions about layoffs, you should be considering whether working parents are disproportionately included.
- Consider accommodations to aid working parents. Work from home is already an accommodation, but there are others that could help here. Modified work schedules (which the Department of Labor favors in its FFCRA guidance), designated breaks, and the provision of additional work supplies such as laptops and printers could all ease the burden on parents working from home. Our goal here should be helping employees figure out solutions to get their job done, not harming employees (and the business) by erecting barriers that prevent it.
* Photo by Leonard Beck on Unsplash
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Coronavirus Update 9-16-2020: Federal court holds state indefinite Covid-closure orders are unconstitutional
In County of Butler v. Wolf, Judge William S. Stickman IV of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (a recent appointee of President Trump) held that state-imposed shutdown orders that closed businesses, required people to stay home, and placed limits on public gatherings—all aimed at stopping the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic—were "well-intentioned" but unconstitutional.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Tuesday, September 15, 2020
Coronavirus Update 9-15-2020: Is your business ready for the coming “tidal wave” of COVID-19 employee lawsuits?
- A Texas man sues, claiming he wasn't allowed to keep teleworking after the office reopened
- A Kentucky worker sues after being fired for complaining about a lack of face masks at work
- An older New York employee sues, claiming he was laid off because he was in a "vulnerable" COVID age group
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Monday, September 14, 2020
Coronavirus Update 9-14-2020: DOL issues revised FFCRA regulations; what’s changed and what hasn’t?
In early August, a New York federal district court judge issued an order invaliding several key provisions in the DOL's FFCRA regulations. Last Friday evening, the DOL responded with revised regulations that left most of its prior regulations intact, while also make a few common-sense amendments.
Here's what the DOL did, and did not, change in response to the court's order, and why.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Saturday, September 12, 2020
Coronavirus Update 9-11-2020: The anatomy of a losing legal argument
Deborah Kofler worked for Sayde Steeves Cleaning Service as a residential and commercial cleaner. Beginning on April 1, Kofler requested paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to care for her two minor children who were at home beacause of COVID-19 related school closures. One week late Sayde terminated her employment.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Thursday, September 10, 2020
Coronavirus Update 9-10-2020: The coming wave of Covid-related age discrimination lawsuits
The EEOC has sued Ohio State University for age discrimination, alleging that the school discriminated against a 53-year-old human resources generalist because of his age by assigning a substantial substantial portion of his duties to a short-tenured co-worker 25 years his junior.
"If a termination is age-discriminatory, disguising it behind a supposed reduction in force will not change that," says EEOC Regional Attorney Debra Lawrence in discussing the filing of the lawsuit.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Coronavirus Update 9-9-2020: The 8th nominee for the “worst employer of 2020” is … 🎶 it’s corona after all 🎶
It's a world of sickness
A world of tears
It's a world of death
And a world of fears
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's corona after all
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Diversity training is the opposite of “anti-American"
Late last week, Russell Vought, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, issued a memo directing that from this point forward, the federal government will spend zero federal dollars for diversity training for its employees. Why? Because President Trump has concluded that diversity training is "divisive, anti-American propaganda."
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, September 4, 2020
Coronavirus Update 9-4-2020: “Normal"
Last Saturday, for one glorious evening, I felt "normal." I dined out at a restaurant for the first time in nearly six months.
Colleen and I celebrated our 17th anniversary. Plan A was to import Maine lobsters, smoke them on my grill, and enjoy them with a great bottle of Italian wine I had picked up our our favorite wine shop. That plan fell apart, however, when I learned that FedEx won't guarantee Saturday delivery to my home.
So we moved to Plan B. We cautiously and nervously decided to brave a restaurant for an outdoor meal.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Thursday, September 3, 2020
Coronavirus Update 9-3-2020: County health department fires five for quarantine order violation
Erie County, Ohio, has fired five health department employees for violating a quarantine order. What happened? Fox 8 provides the details:
Five Erie County General Health District employees are now out of a job after allegedly attending a pool party thrown by a worker, who was supposed to be quarantined.
"I am not going to tolerate it as a health commissioner and the board isn't going to tolerate it as our appointing authority," said Erie County Health Director Peter Schade. "How can we expect folks to follow an order when our own staff didn’t do it?"
Schade said the incident happened in early July after three workers were exposed to COVID-19 and placed on work quarantine orders.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Wednesday, September 2, 2020
Coronavirus Update 9-2-2020: Ohio set to activate COVID-19 liability shield for businesses
Both houses of Ohio's legislature have passed legislation that will grant a liability shield to businesses for claims related to COVID-19 exposure or infection.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Coronavirus Update 9-1-2020: Vaccines — can an employer require them; should an employer require them?
There are currently more than two dozen COVID-19 vaccines in development world wide, as pharmaceutical companies race to perfect a viable vaccination to halt the ongoing pandemic.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, August 28, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-28-2020: New music Friday / Old 97’s, “Twelfth”
"You know that feeling when you reunite with an old friend and it feels like nothing's changed? That feeling of comfort and camaraderie is kind of what it's like listening to Old 97's." That's how Raina Douris, the host of WXPN's World Cafe, recently described my favorite band when introducing her interview with their frontman, Rhett Miller. It's as if she read my mind every time I hear an Old 97's song.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Thursday, August 27, 2020
A pisser of an invasion-of-privacy case: Ohio Supreme Court find no cause of action when employer watches an employee give a urine sample for a drug test
Is the privacy of an at-will private-sector employee invaded when a representative of the employer watches him or her give a urine sample for a workplace drug test?
Yesterday, in Lunsford v. Sterilite of Ohio, the Ohio Supreme Court answered this question in the negative.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-26-2020: New DOL guidance explains employers’ obligation to track compensable telework time
With more employees working from home than ever before (thanks to COVID-19), employers are facing the new reality of tracking working time for remote workers and paying for that time.
The DOL recently published a new Field Assistance Bulletin explaining the obligation of employers to pay for non-exempt employees' "working time" and the obligation of those employees to track this time. It's not a change in the law, but instead a great reminder of the obligations the FLSA imposes on employers and employees.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-25-2020: This example of WFH is WTF
Alison Green, who pens the super engaging and helpful Ask A Manager blog, reached out to me to help with a reader question.
You should jump over to Alison's post to read the whole bonkers scenario, but the TL;DR is that an employee's spouse asked about the legality of an employer-installed app on her work-from-home husband's phone that audio recorded everything happening in the home (whether work related or not).
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, August 21, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-21-2020: Back to school
Today is my kids' first day of school. Not virtual school. Not distanced learning. Not a hybrid model. In-person school. I just returned home from dropping them off for their respective first day of high school and middle school.
We are blessed to have the resources to send our kids to small, independent private school that is uniquely positioned to open for full-time in person learning in the midst of a pandemic. With approximately 400 students in the entire school across grades K-12, class sizes are already naturally small. With a 93-acre campus, many classes will be held outside. With no cafeteria, lunch time is greatly simplified. It's the perfect school to educate in-person while we live with COVID-19. And it has a great plan to keep my kids, the rest of the students, and its faculty and staff as healthy and safe as reasonably possible.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Thursday, August 20, 2020
BLM vs. MAGA at work
Depending on your political perspective, Goodyear is either being praised or criticized after this slide from diversity training at its Topeka, Kansas, plant went viral.
BLM or LGBT messages on clothing okay; MAGA, Blue Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, or other political symbols not okay.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-19-2020: Government watchdog says OSHA whistleblower claims up, investigations down during pandemic
According to a report released yesterday by the Office of Inspector General, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, OSHA has been flooded with complaints by employees that their employers retaliated against them for making virus-related complaints. Yet, because of staffing shortages within OSHA's whistleblower protection program, the agency has been severely hampered in its ability to promptly investigate claims, resulting in significant investigatory delays.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-18-2020: Phishing attacks are yet another COVID-19 issue that needs to be on your radar
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Monday, August 17, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-17-2020: COVID-19 and protected concerted activity
Let's suppose you're a health care organization that terminates an employee after the employee refuses to wear a shared isolation gown and after the employee starts a group discussion with co-workers about the risks and dangers of shared gowns.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, August 14, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-14-2020: Just call me Bob Villa
If you would have told me six months ago that I'd spend my summer building useful things out of wood, I'd have asked if you were drunk or high. But, 2020. So, after successfully conquering a dog house, my wife and I decided to tackle chairs for our new deck.
Fifteen days from now we will celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary. Colleen brought it my attention that the traditional 17th anniversary gift is furniture. Why not spend a weekend of togetherness building some?
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Thursday, August 13, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-13-2020: The 7th nominee for the “worst employer of 2020” is … the no-mask mandator
Meet Billy Woods, the sheriff of Marion County, Florida. He loves youth ranches and senior services, and hates face masks.
Earlier this week, Sheriff Woods prohibited his approximately 900 employees from wearing masks or facial coverings while on duty. The Ocala StarBanner quotes the email he sent to his employees, "[W]hen you are on-duty/working as my employee and representing my Office – masks will not be worn." (His directive also includes anyone entering any of his buildings.)
In the meantime, central Florida is among the hottest of COVID-19 hot spots, and on the same day Sheriff Woods sent his email, Marion County hit its high for the number of COVID-19 deaths in a single day.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-12-2020: Elevator anxiety
Has COVID-19 caused you to have elevator anxiety, as in a fear of being inside of a 7' x 5' box with other people? According to a not-quite scientific Twitter poll with over 4,000 responses, more than six in 10 workers will not use an elevator to get to their office.
POLL (a retweet would be nice):
— Felix Salmon (@felixsalmon) August 5, 2020
Do you use an elevator to get to where you live?
Would you be ok with using an elevator to get to work?
(Assume ~3ft of spacing, and everybody wearing masks.)
These results beg the question, are elevators safe despite our apparent (and in my mind perceived justified) reluctance to use them?
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-11-2020: States should follow Illinois’ lead in making it a felony to assault an employee over a mask rule
Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster … and assault?
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Monday, August 10, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-10-2020: Indians quarantine of pitcher Zach Plesac is a teachable moment in handling irresponsible employees during this pandemic
The Cleveland Indians have sent pitcher Zach Plesac back to Cleveland from their current run of road games for breaking the team's COVID-19 protocols.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, August 7, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-7-2020: Errata — CDC changes guidance on when someone can break COVID-19 isolation
Neil deGrasse Tyson once said, "I love being wrong because that means in that instant, I learned something new that day." Earlier this week, I learned something new.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Thursday, August 6, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-6-2020: Congress must pass the Save Our Stages Act #saveourstages
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-5-2020: Who pays for employer mandated COVID-19 tests?
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Tuesday, August 4, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-4-2020: NY federal judge invalidates key parts of FFCRA regulations
Yesterday, a New York federal judge issued an order invalidating several key aspects of the Department of Labor's regulations interpreting the paid sick leave and expanded FMLA provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Monday, August 3, 2020
Coronavirus Update 8-3-2020: How have employers responded to COVID-19?
- Nearly 6 out of every 10 employers has had an employee test positive for COVID-19 (double the number from April).
- 92 percent require on-site employees to wear masks in common areas and mandate physical distancing.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, July 31, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-31-2020: 41,214 reasons not to fire employees who request FFCRA leave
A San Jose, California, manufacturer has reached an agreement with the Department of Labor's Wage & Hour Division to pay 17 employees $41,214 for wrongly denying their requests for paid coronavirus sick leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Specifically (and much worse than that description sounds), the employer terminated each of the 17 employees after they requested paid leave under the FFCRA.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Thursday, July 30, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-30-2020: Ohio needs to fix its unemployment system, 𝗻𝗼𝘄
The State of Ohio has temporarily frozen its Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits, as the Ohio Department of Jobs & Family Services investigates what it believes are more than 275,000 fraudulent claims that have flooded the system.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-29-2020: SAFE TO WORK Act would offer employers a significant shield from employee COVID-19 lawsuits
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-28-2020: Do you know what to do when an employee tests positive?
Yesterday, the Miami Marlins announced that 14 members of its organization—12 players and two coaches—have tested positive for coronavirus. Most appallingly, however, is a report that the team decided via text message to play its scheduled Sunday game in Philadelphia despite the rash of positive tests. Ignoring the irresponsible selfishness of that decision, it also almost certainly violates Major League Baseball's 100-plus page COVID-19 operations manual, which instructs teams how to handle a positive test. I can guarantee that "tell no one; play your game anyway" is not the recommended best practice.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Monday, July 27, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-27-2020: If your employee treats COVID-19 like a hoax
At the always fabulous Ask a Manager, Alison Green posts the following question:
One of my employees has been vocal about the coronavirus being a hoax. I had to have a talk with him during our last few days in the office at the end of March because he was openly criticizing and mocking coworkers for "being afraid of the flu" and practicing social distancing. While the rest of us isolated and worked at home, he went on two different vacations out of the state and did not isolate upon returning as required.
We're now phasing people back into the office, and he believes that all of the safety guidelines are violating his freedom. He still won't practice social distancing without being told, he will not wear a mask without being told, and he even planned another vacation when the company has asked us not to travel except in the case of emergencies. …
I am at an absolute loss regarding how to get this employee to take these safety precautions seriously when he still sees the coronavirus as a political issue instead of a public health issue. I am very worried that he will bring the virus into the office and get others sick. Do you have any advice for handling this employee and protecting the rest of my staff?
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, July 24, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-24-2020: New music Friday … live from the Rock Hall
In-person live music has been in short supply over the past four months. Like many, I’ve missed it very, very much. Last Sunday, however, I got to experience live music for an hour, on the plaza in front of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Thursday, July 23, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-23-2020: The FFCRA implications of schools reopening
With schools set to reopen over the next four to six weeks, your employees will be asking for time off from work if their children will be distancing learning for any part of the upcoming school year. The FFCRA provides for up to 80 hours of paid sick leave and 12 weeks of expanded FMLA Leave (the latter 10 of which are paid) for employees who are caring for their child(ren) whose school has been closed because of COVID-19 precautions.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-22-2020: Telemedicine and the FMLA
Earlier this week, the Department of Labor published a three new sets of FAQs—COVID-19 and the FLSA, COVID-19 and the FMLA, and updated FAQs on the FFCRA.
By and large the FAQs don't break new ground. But one of the FMLA questions caught my attention.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Non-Coronavirus Update 7-21-2020: Employment law issues I missed covering during the pandemic
Today, I thought I put COVID-19 on a virtual pause and take a look at some employment law issues I missed covering over the past couple of months. Here are 10 stories that jumped to mind.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Monday, July 20, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-20-2020: How do you reopen schools without teachers?
We want to reopen the schools. Everybody wants it. The moms want it, the dads want it, the kids want it. It’s time to do it.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, July 17, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-17-2020: It’s a scary world at there, and I’m not just talking about the virus
I thought it was an innocent enough tweet.
I would have lost my friggin’ mind if I was in that room and then that happened.
— Jon Hyman 😷 (@jonhyman) July 16, 2020
And then came the replies.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Thursday, July 16, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-16-2020: A letter to Ohio — we’re all in this together; let’s all start acting like it
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-15-2020: OSHA updates its mealy-mouthed facial covering FAQs (again)
OSHA has, yet again, updated its Frequently Asked Questions to advise employers about the use of face masks in the workplace during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-14-2020: Should employers be testing employees for COVID-19?
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Monday, July 13, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-13-2020: Hopelessness
Today's post was either going to discuss mandatory temperature checks for employees or reopening schools. Instead, however, today will be a mental health checkup, because mine hasn't been great.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Thursday, July 9, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-9-2020: The 6th nominee for the “worst employer of 2020” is … the working mom sacker
Let this woman's Instagram post sink in, and then let’s talk about why it's wrong to fire a mom working from home (allegedly) because she has to spend some time tending to her children.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Hi, I'm 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘀| MODERN CALI MOM (@moderncalimom) on
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-8-2020: A tale of two mask orders
Yesterday, Ohio announced that face coverings will be required at all times when out in public in seven surging counties—Butler, Franklin, Hamilton, Huron, Montgomery, Trumbull, and my county, Cuyahoga. The mandate applies as long as a county remains designated a Red Alert Level 3 Public Health Emergency county per the state's new tiered Public Health Advisory System, and requires facial coverings:
- In any outdoor public space when a person is unable to maintain physical separation of not less than six feet from others who are not members of the person's household.
- In any indoor space open and accessible to the public, including while waiting in line to enter such indoor space.
- Inside any public transportation and any ride-share vehicle when it is not possible to maintain physical separation of not less than six feet from others who are not members of the person's household.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-7-2020: Do you know the difference between quarantine and isolation?
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Monday, July 6, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-6-2020: Telsa fires workers for staying home after giving them permission to stay home … and after they complain about safety
"Carlos, there is no need to feel that you are going to lose your job. If at this time you do not feel comfortable returning to work, you can stay home without penalty and take the time unpaid."
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Thursday, July 2, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7-2-2020: Employee claims his remote-work request got him fired, sues
An employee suffers from high blood pressure and lives with his 81-year-old mother. He's an engineer and began working from home for his employer in mid-March when his state shut down non-essential businesses. His employer, however, remained open, and several weeks later required him to return to in-person work in the office. He refused, requesting continued work from home. The company refused that request and fired him for job abandonment. The employee sued for disability discrimination.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Coronavirus Update 7–1–2020: THIS is how you protect your employees
Mootown Creamery is an ice cream shop in my town. Consistent with Ohio's reopening rules, it requires its employees to wear masks while working. For the protection of her employees and customers, its owner also decided to require customers to wear masks while in the store.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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