Detailed Report out of Albany Serves as Wake-Up Call for Both Public and Private Sector Employers

Ruling affirms right of employer to terminate an employee who refuses the COVID-19 vaccine.

With more than six million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine already administered in New York, employers and employees both face an important question: can a company mandate its employees get vaccinated? 

The new year brings new paid leave requirements to New York employers. New York State established additional rights to paid leave for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers on April 3, 2020.

Employers planning to hold virtual celebrations may want to consider the potential liability before raising a Zoom cocktail with employees

In 2019, Wal-Mart was ordered to pay $6 million to a class of plaintiffs after a lawsuit (Hamilton et al. v. Wal-Mart) alleged the retail giant engaged in unlawful tactics to discourage employees from leaving the building during their state-mandated break and meal periods.   

Though that case is currently being appealed, it sheds light on an area of labor and employment law where it can be common for an employer to be unknowingly in violation.

Social media has been lighting up in recent weeks with stories about life behind the scenes on the Emmy Award-Winning talk show, “Ellen.”

The tales range from stories of rude behavior, to hostile working conditions, racism and sexual harassment. Despite her squeaky clean image as America’s fun-loving, dancing talk show host, current and former staffers report a workplace that is anything but fun-loving.

Former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski was sentenced this week to 18 months in prison after admitting he stole trade secrets from Google related to self-driving car technology.

In sentencing Levandowski to jail time, U.S. District Judge William Alsup sent a clear message to would-be IP thieves: brilliance is no excuse for theft. In denying the Levandowski defense team’s request for home confinement in lieu of jail, the Court refused to “give a green light to every future brilliant engineer to steal trade secrets.”

There was a time when working from home was considered a perk. Today, in the midst of a global pandemic, it has quickly become the norm.

Working from home has afforded companies a way to stay productive while minimizing the risk of employees transmitting COVID-19. However, without proper planning, companies may find themselves exposed to myriad other risks.