Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that whistleblower protection under the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act extends to employees of privately held companies, even the smallest “mom & pop” businesses.  SOX legislation grew out of fraudulent accounting problems that…

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is aggressively pursuing investigations into cases of “patterns and practices” of discrimination.  It’s doing so as part of its Systemic Discrimination Program, which it has stated is a top priority. In 2013, the…

For the first time ever, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a sexual discrimination lawsuit against a private employer over transgender discrimination. The agency claims two employers each illegally fired a worker who was undergoing a gender change. In…

On September 3, 2014, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter signed a bill (Bill No. 130922) requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodation to employees who seek to breastfeed. The legislation took effect immediately upon being signed. The legislation; defines “reasonable accommodation” to…

The Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor filed 8,126 lawsuits in the 12-month period ending March 31, 2014 for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This represented a 5% increase over 2013. The FLSA…

How sure are you that your company is in compliance with the myriad of complex HR laws & regulations with which it has to comply? The question is an important one given three facts: The government continues to extend its…