Physical Abilities Tests (PAT) can be a useful tool for employers that seek ideal workers for physically demanding jobs. However, a biased test could cost your business millions in investigations, charges, and lawsuits. Just earlier this year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed two cases of female discrimination that cost the respective companies $2.5... View Article
September has arrived and those with kids are getting back into the school routine. Your employee’s schedules and mindsets may have shifted to new schedules and priorities. For many, these shifts are subtle – maybe a day off or a slightly later start time – while for others the preparation for back to school creates... View Article
We all feel it at this time of year – the disruption to our businesses because of summer vacations. It’s difficult enough to keep up with heavy workloads when everyone is in the office, but constant absences due to summer vacations can make it seem impossible to stay above water. I don’t want to suggest in... View Article
On May 21, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis that an employer may require employees to agree to take all employment-related disputes to arbitration on an individual basis, and to waive their right to participate in a class action or class arbitration. This case is a victory for employers... View Article
As the effective date of Statewide Paid Sick and Safe time quickly approaches, I have had several clients say to me, “We are covered by Seattle Sick and Safe, so we don’t have to worry.” This isn’t true for two reasons: 1) Just because you are covered by Seattle (or another city ordinance requiring paid... View Article
As we wrap up the year, I’m trying to stay focused on the important planning tasks for 2018. I’ve been learning about and have begun implementing a program over the past year based on the book “Scaling Up” by Verne Harnish. The program’s core pillars are People, Strategy, Execution and Cash with each pillar leading... View Article
On September 5, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the rescission of the DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The Department of Homeland Security also issued the Memorandum on Rescission Of Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals . Under DACA, certain undocumented immigrants brought into the United States as children received an Employment Authorization Document (EAD)... View Article
A Washington federal district court recently ruled in favor of a terminated employee whose employer failed to accommodate for her use of prescription drugs due to a protected disability. The employee worked in customer service, and suffered from chronic migraines, for which she began receiving injections of the opioid Dilaudid. Due to her disability, she... View Article
On July 17, 2017, USCIS released a revised version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. If this sounds familiar, it is. The last update to the Form 1-9 was in November of 2016. The easiest way to differentiate the new version from the recent update is to look at the version date in the lower left-hand corner.... View Article