Fisher Phillips News

This legal alert was published on January 22nd, 2021 by Micah Dickie in Atlanta.   President Joe Biden has signed several Executive Orders in the first two days of his presidency, and one is an  Executive Order on Protecting Worker Health and Safety  that directs the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to increase enforcement of existing agency standards and investigate whether a...

This legal alert was published on January 7th, 2021 by Randall Coffey in Kansas City, Benjamin Ebbink in Sacramento, Richard Meneghello in Portland, and John Polson in Irvine.   The Labor Department finalized a new rule today that aims to make it easier for businesses to classify workers as independent contractors – but the rule faces a very uncertain future given that the Biden administration wil...

In this podcast, Fisher Phillips partner Kevin Troutman returns to chat with Travis Vance about employee incentive programs related to the COVID-19 vaccine. The co-leader of our firm’s Vaccine Subcommittee spends some time discussing employee wellness program and what employers can and cannot do to provide incentives for employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The vast majority of employers are not considering mandating their employees receive the COVID-19 vaccine, instead choosing to encourage the shot – but a significant number of businesses remain confused and uncertain on whether and how to incentivize their workers to get inoculated. That’s according to a recent survey conducted by Fisher Phillips, with 700 respondents providing their thoughts betw...

Conversations about COVID-19 with Fisher Phillips Moderator: Travis Vance Join Travis Vance, co-chair of the firm’s Workplace Safety and Catastrophe Management Practice Group and a leader of the firm’s COVID-19 Task Force, as he connects with thought leaders from around the firm to discuss timely issues related to the pandemic’s impact on the workplace.   In this podcast, Fisher Phillips partners...

Conversations about COVID-19 with Fisher Phillips Moderator: Travis Vance Join Travis Vance, co-chair of the firm’s Workplace Safety and Catastrophe Management Practice Group and a leader of the firm’s COVID-19 Task Force, as he connects with thought leaders from around the firm to discuss timely issues related to the pandemic’s impact on the workplace.   It’s the topic every employer across the c...

Conversations about COVID-19 with Fisher Phillips Moderator: Travis Vance Join Travis Vance, co-chair of the firm’s Workplace Safety and Catastrophe Management Practice Group and a leader of the firm’s COVID-19 Task Force, as he connects with thought leaders from around the firm to discuss timely issues related to the pandemic’s impact on the workplace.   It’s often said that doing business in Cal...

Conversations about COVID-19 with Fisher Phillips Moderator: Travis Vance Join Travis Vance, co-chair of the firm’s Workplace Safety and Catastrophe Management Practice Group and a leader of the firm’s COVID-19 Task Force, as he connects with thought leaders from around the firm to discuss timely issues related to the pandemic’s impact on the workplace.   In this podcast, California attorneys Ben...

This legal alert was published on December 3, 2020 by Benjamin Morrell  and  Travis Vance  in Charlotte. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just issued new guidance stating that coronavirus quarantines may be shortened to seven or 10 days under certain circumstances, down from the 14 days currently recommended, according to  media reports . This will permit businesses to return employe...

This newsletter article was published on December 29th, 2020 by Emily Litzinger  in Louisville. Undoubtedly, working mothers have always worked a “double shift” – a full day at work followed by hours spent caring for their children, running to soccer practice, and getting food on the table. Before the pandemic, however, working mothers at least had a network of support including childcare and scho...

This legal alert was published on November 17th, 2020 by J. Randall Coffey in Kansas City, and Richard Meneghello in Portland.   The federal agency charged with enforcing the nation’s main workplace discrimination laws just announced that it recovered over $535 million from employers on behalf of aggrieved workers and applicants this past fiscal year, a figure that shattered the previous record an...

This newsletter article was published on November 30th, 2020 by Kristin White in Denver. When the pandemic first began, most employees were ready to pitch in and do their part to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. They adapted to remote working while attending to their children. Others understood they were deemed “essential workers” and adjusted to the new normal when coming to work, which includ...

This newsletter article was published on October 30th, 2020 by Ashby Angell , Chantell Foley , and Todd Logsdon in Louisville. When thinking about safety training for your workforce, you may be, understandably, focused on your workforce as a whole. Just as important, however, is considering the age, gender, nationality, and other aspects of all of your employees in planning for such training. Amer...

This legal alert was published on October 22, 2020 by Nicholas Hulse and Travis Vance in Charlotte. New COVID-19 contact tracing procedures released by the federal government yesterday have expanded the category of individuals who are deemed to be in close contact with each other – and will complicate the already difficult task faced by employers when trying to maintain a safe workplace environmen...

This newsletter article was published on September 4, 2020 by Megan Janes in Fort Lauderdale and Jennifer Sandberg in Atlanta. What a year! 2020 has been full of challenges, both personal and professional. Personally, each of us have our own story. Professionally, workplaces have been rocked with unprecedented turmoil as we navigate COVID-19 and the lasting impact of the social justice protest mov...

This legal alert was published on September 16, 2020 by Phillip Bauknight in New Jersey. A recent report from the federal government revealing that workplace safety whistleblower claims have exponentially increased during the pandemic should give all employers pause – and should motivate you to take immediate steps to ensure you don’t find yourself on the receiving end of such a claim. What do you...

This legal alert was published on August 18th 2020 by Kevin Troutman in Houston.   As the flu season approaches and the COVID-19 pandemic continues, employers’ mandatory vaccination policies may soon become more important than ever. For several reasons, those policies will also attract unprecedented scrutiny. First, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has stated that getting the flu vaccine this...

This legal alert was published on August 17th, 2020 by Travis W. Vance in Charlotte.   Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued constantly changing guidance for employers that many view as complex, confusing, and impractical. In its perplexing web of guidelines, the CDC recommends that your company take several actions to protect workers from cont...

This legal alert was published on July 7, 2020 by Hannah Sweiss (Woodland Hills, Los Angeles).   Though many experts thought the summer months would bring reprieve, COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise in the United States and, as a result, more employers are dealing with employees testing positive for the coronavirus. Since we published our original plan for responding COVID-19 cases when busine...

This legal alert was published on July 16, 2020 by: Myra Creighton (Atlanta) Aymara Ledezma (Los Angelas) Todd Logsdon (Louiville) Richard Meneghello (Portland) Catharine Morisset (Seattle) Andria Ryan (Atlanta) As an increasing number of businesses begin to require face coverings in their facilities – whether as a result of a local legal mandate or in the interest of public safety – there has bee...

This legal alert was published on June 18, 2020 by Jessica T. Cook, Shanon R. Stevenson, and Cynthia J. Yarbrough in Atlanta.   By a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 18th, the Trump administration did not provide adequate and appropriate justification to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, preserving the ability of approximately 700,000 individuals –...

This legal alert was published on June 15th, 2020 by J. Randall Coffey in Kansas City, David Klass in Charlotte, Megan Walker in San Diego, and Sarah Weiseltheir in New York and New Jersey.   In a 6-to-3 vote on June 15th, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that workplace discrimination because of an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity — including being transgender — is unlawful discrimin...

This legal alert was published on May 26th, 2020 by Travis W. Vance in Charlotte.   Perhaps the most challenging aspect of encountering a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 among your employees as you reopen your business is identifying those employees who worked near the infected worker – and thus must also be quarantined. Luckily, there is a simple numerical sequence you can remember that w...

This legal alert was posted on March 26th 2020 by Matthew R Korn and Sheila M Willis in Columbia.   As more and more businesses plan their re-openings heading into the summer months, many employers are trying to determine how to handle employee requests for leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) based on the unavailability of child care. Specifically, once schools are clos...

This legal alert was posted on May 26th, 2020 by Benjamin J Ross in Denver and Samantha Saltzman in Irvine.   With employees returning to work and companies reopening their doors to customers, employers are looking for ways to limit liability related to potential COVID-19 cases contracted in the workplace. To do so, many are considering waivers for not only their employees, but also for customers....