In 2021, the workforce continued adapting to an evolving global pandemic, increasingly consequential social movements and a dramatic shift in employment policy ushered in by a change of leadership at the federal level.
2022: The Year Ahead for Employers highlights the legislation, litigation, regulation and trends nationwide that will impact businesses in 2022.
As 2022 begins, so does the third year of a sustained global COVID-19 pandemic. Close to 4,000 lawsuits related to COVID-19 were filed between March 2020 and August 2021. Hundreds of those have been brought as putative class or collective actions, a clear majority of which were in the wage and hour context. As with most wage and hour claims, they pose a significant risk of exposure and defense costs if they survive early dismissal. But the COVID-related class actions that have been filed are not limited to the wage and hour context.
Return to Work and Remote Work Policies
Employers should address accommodation requests on a factual, case-by-case basis, and make exceptions to return to work or formal work policies in accordance with applicable law for providing accommodations.
Religious Accommodations
With the proliferation of religious accommodations requests in response to vaccine mandates, courts are examining the threshold issue of what is an undue hardship on the employer in a religious accommodation case and whether standards should be brought in line with those used in disability...
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says his unfounded claim that Coun. Sean Orr distributed illegal drugs didn't damage his reputation, because Orr's own previous statements showed he "supported drug use." S...