Over the last 18 months, nearly everyone has experienced increased stress as once simple decisions about day-to-day routines became more complicated, going to work and school became a potential health risk, and many families experienced financial hardship. Stress associated with the pandemic has exacerbated mental health impairments and other conditions triggered by stress and led people to seek professional help for their struggles ...
Do you have a unionised workforce? If so, the Kostal (Kostal UK Ltd v Dunkley and others [2021] UKSC 47 (27 October 2021)) decision is a must read. If you are an employer which recognises a union - or unions - then the Kostal decision is unlikely to have escaped your notice. The case was brought because an employer ‘went around’ the recognised union and made a pay offer direct to employees despite there being an agreement with the union in place ...
On October 27, the Ministry of Science presented what will be the first National Artificial Intelligence Policy containing the strategic guidelines to be followed by the country over the next 10 years with the aim of empowering people in the use and development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and participating in the debate on their legal, ethical, social, and economic consequences ...
On October 29, 2021, the following resolutions were published in the Official Gazette: Exempt Resolution No. 1,080 of the Undersecretary of Public Health amending Exempt Resolution No. 994, of 2021, of the Ministry of Health, which establishes the fourth Step-by-Step Plan; and Exempt Resolution No. 1,079 of the Undersecretary of Public Health, which amends Exempt Resolution No. 672, of 2021, of the Ministry of Health, which establishes the Protected Borders Plan ...
Josh Cavallo has demonstrated enormous bravery by becoming the only current male professional footballer to come out as gay. We consider how employers can foster a workplace environment that is supportive of LGBTQ+ employees who choose to come out. This week Josh Cavallo of Adelaide United showed incredible courage by publicly announcing his sexuality ...
Consistent with a continued expansion of statutory rights under the National Labor Relations Act ("NLRA"), the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB") confirmed her view that certain athletes at academic institutions are "statutory employees, who have the right to act collectively to improve their terms and conditions of employment ...
OSHA is considering rules to address heat injury and stress in the workplace. On October 27, 2021, OSHA filed an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ("ANPRM") for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings. The ANPRM includes 114 questions and seeks public input on heat-related issues that should be addressed in any standard, including possible controls or measures that might be considered to address heat-related injury and stress ...
The end of the year is both a busy and a celebratory time. As employers close out 2021 and look forward to 2022, here are five issues for employers to consider to prepare for success in the year ahead: 1. Holiday Bonuses - If you are considering a year-end payment to employees, make sure you know the tax and wage and hour rules and the difference between discretionary and nondiscretionary bonuses. A true holiday bonus is purely discretionary — meaning it is not tied to performance ...
On Oct. 29, 2021, the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor (DOL) released its final rule regarding “dual jobs” for tipped employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The final rule, which becomes effective on Dec. 28, 2021, withdraws a prior final rule from 2020 regarding dual jobs and amends regulations to distinguish between tipped occupations and non-tipped occupations ...
Questions abound as to whether HIPAA comes into play when COVID-19 vaccination information is provided to employers. Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued clarifying guidance on the applicability of the HIPAA Privacy Rule in the context of COVID-19 vaccination information provided to employers ...
Key Points Mandatory vaccination programs may be permissible at federal level without Title VII religious exemption. The equivalent state religious exemption is still viable in California. Social, political, or personal preference objections about the possible effects of the COVID-19 vaccine do not qualify as “religious beliefs” under the Title VII religious exemption. DOES V. MILLS On October 29, 2021, in a 6-3 decision, the United States Supreme Court in Does v ...
On 28 October 2021, the Royal Government of Cambodia (“RGC”) implemented ‘Round 10’ of measures aimed at mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 on businesses and workers in Cambodia. In readiness for the economy re-opening Cambodia has been receiving vaccines through support and direct purchases from various manufacturers ...
Key Points In addition to five key victories for housing advocates discussed in an earlier alert, the California Senate passed many additional housing bills not included in their “Building Opportunities for All” Housing Package. Bills from the Housing Package that would have approved an affordable housing bond (SB 5), residential housing on certain commercial sites (SB 6), and local housing data reporting requirements (SB 477) all failed to win approval ...
In her speech to the Principles for Responsible Investment and the London Stock Exchange Group, SEC Commissioner Allison Herren Lee made it clear that a climate change disclosure proposal is no longer a question of if, but when and provided some hints about what the proposal will look like. After remarking that “[c]limate change is . . ...
Last week, in the culmination of a process that began in 2016, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Final Rule to update the Safeguards Rule promulgated under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act ...
In IT service contracts, it is common to find non-liability clauses protecting companies that provide software and professional IT system implementation or integration services. Issue In Dispute Is such a contractual non-liability clause valid under Quebec civil law where a fundamental obligation is breached? In 6362222 Canada inc. v. Prelco inc ...
