Workplace discrimination comes in many forms. We are mostly familiar with discrimination based on age, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion and disability. However, there is also a type of employment discrimination rooted in a person’s genes called genetic...
employment law for employers
What employees need to know about pregnancy FMLA leave
The Family and Medical Leave Act is a federal law that provides important protections for employees in the United States. If you or a loved one is expecting a child, it is especially important to understand what FMLA leave entails. Knowing your rights under FMLA can...
What constitutes religious discrimination in the workplace
An employee can experience discrimination from seniors or colleagues based on different aspects, including religion. Religious discrimination involves treating someone unfavorably because of their religious beliefs or because they are married to or associated with an...
What does employment retaliation look like?
The law has provisions against misconduct stemming from discrimination, such as employment retaliation. This violation happens when you file a complaint and someone intentionally makes employment decisions or actions that adversely impact you. Employees participating...
The link between tipping and sexual harassment
If you work as a restaurant server, you likely depend on your tips to make a wage that you can live on. While tipping has long been entrenched in United States culture, many believe that this approach should be curtailed. Aside from the arguments that restaurants...
New psychological initiatives tackle continuing workplace ageism
A recent lawsuit against a social media giant, X, alleging a mass layoff involving its older employees triggers presumptions that ageism continues to permeate through the U.S. workplace. While this case involves older adults, ageism, or discrimination based on age,...
Do you think you were wrongfully terminated?
Have you recently lost your job with seemingly no explanation? Or maybe you did receive a reason for your termination, but you are now questioning it, especially if you were in recent conflict with your employer. Knowing the reasons and the signs of wrongful...
What elements should your severance agreement include?
In many cases, company layoffs come with a severance agreement for the terminated employees. Sometimes employees find severance agreements confusing, especially if this is the first one they have received. When you recognize the key elements of a severance agreement,...
The 2 major classifications of sexual harassment in the workplace
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act protect employees in Pennsylvania from sexual harassment in the workplace. Sexual harassment is when someone makes unsolicited sexual advances to another either explicitly or...
Can employees with a disability be fired?
Terminating an employee due to a disability is unlawful on both the federal and state levels. But what if they pose a danger to others in the workplace or fall short of expectations? Disability discrimination rules and regulations might be difficult to navigate, but...