BOP Newsletter

Employees and individuals who visit a workplace in the course of their own work may make complaints and receive counsel and assistance regarding workplace sexual harassment by calling the toll-free hotline (1-800-HARASS-3), Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The hotline is set...

With limited exceptions, Assembly Bill 2188 makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against an individual “in hiring, termination, or any term or condition of employment, or otherwise penalize a person, if the discrimination is based upon the person’s use of cannabis off the...

Q: I need your help with a question. When we give an employee a write-up and they refuse to sign it, what do I need to do/say? A: There are a number of options that can be deployed if an employee refuses to sign a disciplinary...

Gender Dysphoria Covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
In Williams v. Kincaid, No. 21-2030 (4th Cir. Aug. 16, 2022), a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that Gender Dysphoria is not excluded from the broad definition...

“CROWN” stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair” and prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of hairstyles or textures historically associated with race, such as afros, dreadlocks, twists, locs, braids, cornrow braids, Bantu knots, curls, and hair styled to protect hair...

Q: I have an employee who wants to get the Hepatitis B Vaccine, which I’m required to offer and pay for due to her work duties possibly exposing her to Bloodborne Pathogens. How does that work? Does she choose where to go, or do I...

Massachusetts: Late Paid Vacation Leave of $9,0000.00 Becomes an Award of Over $100,000.00 On April 4, 2022, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts (SJC) issued a decision that should shock employers in Massachusetts. In Reuter v. City of Methuen, the SJC held that all violations of...

Washington Beginning January 1, 2023, Washington will Require Employers to Disclose Salary Range and Wage Scale in Job Postings. Earlier this year, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 5761, which revises a 2019 amendment to Washington’s 2018 Equal Pay and Opportunities Act. SB 5761 applies to employers...

West Virginia Enacted Changes to the Wage Payment Law Involving Payroll Cards? Effective on June 9, 2022, under Senate Bill 245, which amends Sections 21-5-3 and 21-5-4 of the Wage Payment and Collection Act, the employer may unilaterally elect to pay employee wages via payroll card,...

Q: I interviewed and offered someone a position at my business. Turns out, she is currently employed by a nearby business associate who is also my friend. The information she provided states she will not be leaving his office for another couple of months, and...