This is not normal
THIS IS NOT NORMAL That was the subject line of an email sent by an EEOC judge to all of her coworkers in response to an agency directive th...
WIRTW #748: the 'tracking' edition
By Jon Hyman
"I have nothing to do with Project 2025. That's out there. I haven't read it. I don't want to read it, purposely. I'm n...
EEOC's policy shift to "protect American workers" is all about punishing non-Americans
By Jon Hyman
If you hire non-Americans, the EEOC is coming after your business. In a press release , Acting Chair Andrea Lucas says the following: ...
A tale of two approaches to noncompete agreements
By Jon Hyman
Big news on noncompetes—from two very different directions. First, the NLRB just quietly backed off its aggressive stance that most noncompe...
EEOC moves to dismiss transgender-discrimination lawsuits
By Jon Hyman
"EEOC seeks to drop race discrimination cases brought on behalf of Black workers, citing Trump's executive order." This is not...
What makes an accommodation "reasonable"?
By Jon Hyman
Let's talk about Nguyen v. Bessent and the IRS's year-long effort to accommodate an employee with medical limitations. Thuy-Ai Nguy...
WIRTW #747: the 'tariffs' edition
By Jon Hyman
The Trump administration just announced new tariffs on aluminum and steel. That might not sound like a big deal to most, but for small busi...
The attack on DEI does not mean employers must or should eliminate anti-harassment training
By Jon Hyman
Even as some push back forcefully against DEI workplace initiatives, courts are pushing back even harder. Consider these excerpts from Dieme...
Protecting the rule of law
By Jon Hyman
"Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power." — Vice President JD Vance We need to talk about the r...
How to respond to the Justice Department's DEI hitlist
By Jon Hyman
"The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division will investigate, eliminate, and penalize illegal DEI and DEIA preferences, mand...
WIRTW #746: the 'fly, eagles fly' edition
By Jon Hyman
All-Pro Reels , CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Are you ready for the Big Game? As a Philly native and die-hard Eagles fan, I sure am! ...
What the EEOC just said—and didn't say—about the current state of workplace right
By Jon Hyman
"The EEOC is open for business." That's what the agency just declared in a series of frequently asked questions about the imp...
What hiring and employment look like without DEI
By Jon Hyman
What does a country without DEI look like? Some people say that's what they want. No more diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives i...
The dos and don't of workplace AI policies
By Jon Hyman
According to a recent BBC article , half of all workers use personal generative AI tools (like ChatGPT) at work—often without their employer...
We cannot simply oblish OSHA
By Jon Hyman
"The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 repealed. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is abolished." That...
WIRTW #745: the 'biliterate' edition
By Jon Hyman
Until this week, I thought being bilingual meant fluency in a second language—the ability to read, write, listen, and speak with ease. I was...
Microagressions as an adverse action
By Jon Hyman
A "microaggression" is a subtle, often unintentional comment or action that conveys bias or discrimination against a marginalized ...
Trump illegally guts the EEOC of its Democratic members
By Jon Hyman
Remember last week when I told you that Trump would try to dismantle all of our federal workplace discrimination laws? Well, the first shoe ...
Missing time sheets doom employee's overtime claim
By Jon Hyman
One of the most challenging tasks is proving a negative. Yet, this is precisely the problem employers face when defending wage-and-hour case...
Taking from your employees' tip pool? It's illegal
By Jon Hyman
It’s Dry January, and brewery owners are feeling the pinch. You might be tempted to supplement your income by dipping into your employees’ t...