Employee handbooks in New York will detail what is expected of employees. It will also state the disciplinary procedures and various policies. State law plays a fundamental role in what employers can and cannot do with their employees. When changes are made to the...
Employee Rights
Employer liability: hostile work environment vs. quid pro quo
Harassment of any kind is bad for the workplace. It’s detrimental to both the employee who is on the receiving end and the employer who is supposed to curtail it. But not all harassment is equal and the employer’s responsibility depends on the type of harassment that...
Is a severance agreement in your best interests?
Losing your job can be a frustrating and nerve-wracking experience, especially when it seemingly comes out of nowhere. You’ll likely be wondering what went wrong and what you’re going to do next. Your employer may offer you a severance agreement as part of your...
Pregnancy rights employers should know
For employers, issues that pop up around pregnant employees or employees with pregnant spouses can cause substantial headaches. After all, while it is a joyous time, pregnancy means having one (or two) employees gone for potentially significant amounts of time over a...
Defeating a nondisclosure agreement
Employers are always looking for different methods to defend against their competitors. One such method is requiring employees to sign either a nondisclosure or noncompete agreement as they begin their employment. The two types of agreements (NDA and NCA) function...
U.S. Labor Department notes violence at medical centers
Medical centers across the United States in general and in the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut) in particular have been in the news a lot lately. Healthcare workers have always been considered essential but they are even more important to the...
Can employers legally discriminate against overweight employees?
More than 99 million adults are overweight and 70 million are obese in the United States, according to data from the CDC. Researchers have found that overweight and obese Americans often face discrimination in employment. Is it illegal for employers to discriminate...
What should I know before I sign an NDA?
Non-disclosure agreements occupy a unique space in employment law. What makes a non-disclosure agreement unique is that the parties typically do not invoke it until after either an employee or employer terminates the working relationship between them. Generally...
Negotiating an employee severance package
In a fluctuating economy, many employees in New York and other parts of the United States will face termination at one point or another. When a person is facing termination, it's highly important to negotiate a reasonable severance package to protect his or her...
Explosive race discrimination suit by execs rocks McDonald’s
Those who live in New York may want to be aware of a recent article. It mentions a suit by two African American female executives who claim racist and sexist remarks were thrown at them when the leadership of McDonald's changed. They also said that the company...
