Two restaurant employees complained about the company’s accounting department on Facebook — and were fired. Two teen center employees took to Facebook after an office meeting and disparaged their supervisors’ decisions — and were fired. James Damore used Google’s employee message boards to criticize how his employer was implementing its diversity policy — and was...
Read more

President Trump’s appointment to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission could signal a more cooperative attitude at the agency. Now that the EEOC is likely to have a 3-2 Republican majority under nominee Janet Dhillon, its policies are expected to slant in a more pro-employer direction. Control at the field office level, where much of...
Read more

Twenty-eight states now allow the medical use of cannabis (marijuana), and eight have legalized its recreational use. Some state statutes include legal protections for employees who use it for medical purposes. But the federal government still classifies cannabis as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, with no medical use—and illegal under federal law. How should an...
Read more

References and letters of recommendation can be a damned-if-you-do and damned-if-you-don’t situation for employers. Damned if You Do… Fear of defamation lawsuits brought by former employees has altered the way employers provide job references. Companies have no legal obligation to provide prospective employers with information on their former employees. Because employers have been found liable...
Read more