Compliance Stuff

Escalating culture war conflicts and heightened tensions can spill into the workplace when employee conduct relates to national and global  political controversies . Whether in the office, through the virtual workplace, or via  social media , employee  political  and ideological speech  may require employers to  navigate various legal considerations  and take action . The tensions are continuing to escalate with government agencies’  inviting complaints  and political figures’ urging citizens to report employees to their employers.  Although these conflicts have become more commonplace in recent years, they are layered, nuanced, and continually evolving. Before taking action, employers can help minimize the influence of politicized and polarized opinions by focusing on the following key considerations, which provide a foundation for addressing conflict, responding to complaints, and navigating the potential for litigation.  Key Cons...

Here are the top ten items you should tackle in October 2025, based on the latest workplace law developments and upcoming critical compliance dates: _____ Learn what you can – and can’t – do about employee speech.  As employee expression spills into every corner of the modern workplace, employers are trying to figure out the best way to respond to off-duty social media rants, political debates in the workplace, dress code disputes, and other types of activity. Here’s our  employer guide to navigating employee speech in various scenarios . _____ Assess how the government shutdown impacts your operations.  The federal government officially shut down on October 1 after Congress failed to reach a spending agreement   by the deadline. How will the shutdown impact employers? Here are our  answers to your top questions . _____ Plan for big changes to the H-1B and other visa programs.  The Trump administration upended immigration and workforce strategies for many...

  On November 13, 2024, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a d ecision prohibiting the practice of holding mandatory employee meetings to discuss the employer’s views on unionization . The decision follows through on the NLRB general counsel’s attack on so-called “captive audience meetings,” an important tool for employers to educate workers about the potential workplace implications of unionization. Quick Hits The NLRB issued a decision prohibiting employers from holding mandatory employee informational meetings to discuss their views on unionization. The decision o verrules a seventy-six-year-old Board precedent that had allowed such meetings. The NLRB outlined a “safe harbor” for employers to hold voluntary meeting s on unionization with employees. The Board held that an employer interferes with employees’ organizing rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) when it “compels employees to attend a captive-audience meeting on pain of discipl...