The Employer Handbook

04/10/2026

Bad, abrupt termination after a discrimination complaint. Still lawful. Here’s why. -

An employee complained to HR about discrimination. About two and a half months later, the employer skipped progressive discipline, gave no warning, and fired her the same day over emails. Most people would expect that case to go to a jury. It didn’t.

04/09/2026

“Take it or leave it” is not a religious accommodation strategy -

A weekend schedule change. A Sunday church conflict. And apparently no one at the company thought to have a conversation about it.

04/08/2026

We’re in Toronto. It Was Not My Idea. Send Help. -

My boys picked Toronto because all four of the city’s pro sports teams are home this week. The Blue Jays, the Raptors, Toronto FC, and the Maple Leafs — fine, three major ones and the Leafs.

04/07/2026

ADA Risk: Undoing a Working Accommodation After Years of Success -

A new manager walks in, looks at a long-standing accommodation, and decides it’s over. The employee had been doing the job successfully for years. That’s where the risk starts.

04/06/2026

Paid Sick Leave Laws Protect Employees Who Follow the Rules. This Fox News Producer Didn’t. -

Most paid sick leave laws protect employees who follow the rules. A D.C. federal court just illustrated what happens when one doesn’t, and why a written call-out policy is the difference between a defensible termination and extended litigation.

04/03/2026

Coworker Says the N-Word. Employer Fires Him Within a Week. Court: No Liability. -

One racial slur. One termination. Zero liability. The Third Circuit’s newest hostile work environment decision is a masterclass in what prompt employer action actually looks like.

04/02/2026

New Executive Order Bans “Racially Discriminatory DEI Activities” by Federal Contractors and Their Subcontractors -

President Trump’s new executive order for federal contractors bans something called “racially discriminatory DEI activities.” Read the definition and you’ll find it’s just discrimination — conduct Title VII has prohibited for sixty years. What the order actually adds is a new enforcement...

04/01/2026

I Got Cease and Desisted. Now I Need Your Help. -

I am an employment lawyer. I have spent over two decades helping employers avoid liability. Last week, I got a cease and desist letter. Against me.

03/31/2026

Can a White Employee Sue for Race Discrimination Under the NJLAD Without Any Heightened Burden? The Third Circuit Says Yes. -

The Third Circuit just predicted that New Jersey’s “reverse discrimination” rule is incompatible with the NJLAD. Federal courts in New Jersey are no longer applying it.

03/30/2026

Can an Employee Turn a Completed PIP Into an Age Discrimination Claim? -

03/27/2026

Can “I Felt Pressured” Undo a Signed Severance Release? -

She signed a severance release, collected her benefits, and then sued anyway. The Sixth Circuit just explained why that didn’t work – and why the employer’s paperwork made all the difference.