California Becomes Third State to Limit Access to Employees' Social Media Accounts
10/1/12
By: David Cole
On Thursday, Governor Jerry Brown signed a new law that significantly limits when California employers may ask employees and job applicants for social media information. Under the new law, an employer cannot require or request an employee …
Employer Reporting Deadlines Fast Approaching
9/20/12
By: Ben Mathis
For many employers, the deadline to file various reports to federal agencies regarding their employers is September 30th. This includes filings for EEO-1, the Employer Information Report, and the Veterans Employment Report, commonly known as the VETS-100 …
ADA Lawsuits Plaguing Property Owners
8/14/12
By: Ben Mathis
Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which covers “public accommodations,” is not widely known to the general public. Property owners, however, are becoming too familiar with its requirements as they confront an avalanche of …
Better Not Ask for an Employee’s Facebook Password in Illinois
8/9/12
By: Brad Adler
Reacting to the chorus of critics lamenting the purported trend of employers demanding employees provide them with their social networking passwords, Illinois has now joined Maryland in prohibiting companies from demanding an employee’s social networking passwords as …
Employers Beware of Rules Against Employee Discussion of Internal Investigations
8/1/12
By: David Cole
On July 30, the NLRB issued a decision in the case of Banner Estrella Medical Center, which highlights the dangers of blanket instructions or policies prohibiting employees from discussing internal investigations. The company’s human resources manager …
Georgia Court Raises Standard for Whistleblower Actions
7/30/12
By: Kelly Morrison
The Georgia Court of Appeals, in Fulton County v. Colon, recently issued a ruling on whistleblower lawsuits, which may significantly narrow the scope of actions that can be brought against governmental entities by disgruntled employees.
The …
The Eleventh Circuit Rules First Restrictive Covenant Law as Unconstitutional
6/27/12
By: Brad Adler
For those that have followed the saga over the passage of the new restrictive covenant law, the Eleventh Circuit (without much fanfare) has chimed in on the issue and ruled that the Georgia legislature’s first attempt to …
Retaliatory Hostile Work Environment Claim Recognized by Eleventh Circuit
6/18/12
By: Joyce Mocek
In a case of first impression for the Eleventh Circuit, the Court in Gowski v. Peake held that a retaliatory hostile work environment was a viable claim. The Court also noted that although discrete acts cannot alone …
New Guidelines on Social Media Policies
5/11/12
By: Joyce Mocek
Last week, the Acting General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issed a 24 page report containing specific guidelines for employers on their policies concerning social media use. This is the third report that the …