Careful With Those Return To Work Policies
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Disabilities and Accommodations (ADA), Discrimination in the Workplace, General Employer Guidance
I had the pleasure this week of speaking with Washington Post Work Advice columnist Karla Miller about pitfalls that employers face when creating return-to-work policies. Karla was asked why parents could continue to work remotely but not workers on the same team without young children—could this be discrimination? Well, it depends. When it comes to…
Read More Employers May Not Want To Judge A Book By Their Cover
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | EEOC, LGBTQ+, Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment
Growing up, my mom always taught my brother and me: never judge a book by its cover. Looks may be deceiving. Give people a chance. It’s sage advice. Employers who fail to heed this common-sense advice may risk a federal discrimination lawsuit, as the City of Boise, Idaho is discovering. After a favorable determination—finding probable…
Read More Advancing Equity and Inclusivity At Work Requires Eradicating Inequity and Harassment
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Bystander Intervention, Discrimination in the Workplace, Diversity and Inclusion, EEOC, LGBTQ+, Sexual Harassment
The federal government, the nation’s largest employer, continues to take steps to shape its organizational culture in a way that promotes equity, diversity, and inclusivity while preventing unlawful harassment. On June 25, 2021, the White House released an executive order, which includes a strategic plan to address employment discrimination and workplace harassment, including sexual harassment,…
Read More History Has Its Eyes On You, Employers
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Diversity and Inclusion, Employee Benefits, Race-based Discrimination, Harassment
Most employers provide vacation and holiday leave. Now, employers have a new holiday to add to their roster: Juneteenth. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill establishing Juneteenth, the date marking the end of slavery in the United States, as a federal holiday. (CNBC) This is a big deal. A very big…
Read More New EEOC Guidance Has Arrived! Key Points Employers Need To Know
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Covid-19 Vaccines, EEOC, Workplace Safety
Imagine my excitement late Friday when I saw that long-awaited new federal guidance arrived from the Equal Employment Opportunity Center (EEOC). I think I yelped “yay” out loud while trying to peruse the new and updated Technical Assistance Questions and Answers. I’m not going to bury the ledes; here are some big ticket points: Employers…
Read More Workin’ Moms During COVID-19
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Covid-19, Discrimination in the Workplace, Mental Health, Race-based Discrimination, Harassment, Workplace Safety
Whether we’re talking about show on Netflix about four Canadian women with very different jobs and families or the oxymoron of the “working mom” (because, of course, all moms work), mothers, in particular, seem to have carried a heavier load during this pandemic. The devastation hit Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders (AANHPI)…
Read More What Does The New CDC Guidance Mean For Your Business?
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | CDC Guidance, Workplace Safety
It depends, as per usual in the employment space. The latest mask guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced last week that fully vaccinated Americans don’t need to wear masks or social distance indoors, with some exceptions. Business leaders, eager to get the workforce back at work, rejoiced. But not so…
Read More Fire Department In Flames With Discrimination and Retaliation Claims
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Discrimination in the Workplace, Race, Religion, and National Origin, Retaliation, Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment
Quite often, retaliation claims bite employers in the backside rather than employees’ underlying claims for sexual or race-based harassment and other forms of discrimination. That’s what I was thinking as I read about a complaint filed last month against the Hillsboro government and chiefs at the Hillsboro Fire & Rescue Department. Three current employees allege…
Read More Flexibility Is Key To “Coaxing” Workers Back to the Office
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Accommodation of Disabilities, Covid-19, General Employer Guidance, Mental Health, Workplace Safety
Reading “They Want You Back In the Office, How to coax corporate America to return to work?” on Sunday, I thought to myself “oh good, this will address incentives and COVID-19 vaccines, the provision of paid sick leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), and, of course, ideas on flexibility to coax back…
Read More Employers, Thinking About Providing PTO To Employees Who Get COVID-19 Vaccines?
By Amy Epstein Gluck | | Covid-19, Covid-19 Vaccines, FFCRA
If so, President Biden rewards you for it! The White House just announced a paid leave tax credit to employers that provide full pay for any employee that takes time to get a COVID-19 vaccine or recover from the side effects of a COVID-19 vaccine. The American Rescue Plan is funding this tax credit for…
Read More RICHARD COHEN
Richard Cohen has litigated and arbitrated complex corporate, commercial and employment disputes for more than 35 years, and is a trusted advisor to business owners and in-house counsel both in the United States and internationally. His clients have included Fortune 100 companies, domestic and foreign commercial and investment banks, Pacific-rim corporations and real estate development companies, as well as start-up businesses throughout the United States.
AMY EPSTEIN GLUCK
Amy Epstein Gluck has represented individuals and corporate clients in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and various federal district courts for more than twenty years. Ms. Epstein Gluck’s current practice areas include employment law—advising on and drafting employment agreements; handling employment negotiations, severance agreements, noncompete and nondisclosure agreements, “wrongful terminations” and other EEO matters; representation at the EEOC level; advising employers about discrimination laws and how to remain in compliance, and employment negotiations.
