In a reassuring decision for employers, the UK High Court has confirmed that an employer’s use of a contractual provision to claw back an employee’s bonus was lawful. The ruling in Steel v Spencer Road LLP provides helpful guidance on the circumstances in which a bonus clawback will not constitute a restraint of trade, though employers should be mindful that not all such provisions will be enforceable.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recently announced a streamlined process for foreign workers to request deferred action. Deferred action is a type of prosecutorial discretion to defer removal action (deportation) for a noncitizen for a certain time period.  The new process will apply where these workers are participating in or otherwise involved an investigation or enforcement action by a federal, state, or local labor and employment agency.    

D. Porpoise Evans examines a new DOJ whistleblower program that will complement last year’s focus on corporate voluntary disclosure programs and offers whistleblower awards to motivate employees to report misconduct.

HR Daily Advisor

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On September 1, 2021, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), the Department of Labor sub-agency charged with enforcing affirmative action and non-discrimination requirements imposed on federal contractors by way of Executive Order 11246, announced that it was reversing

On February 1, 2022, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) presented a webinar on its new contractor portal through which covered contractors are being asked to certify whether they are meeting their requirement to develop and maintain annual affirmative action programs.

On May 20, 2022, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) published its FY 2022 Corporate Scheduling Announcement List (CSAL) for supply and service contractors. OFCCP has stated that it will immediately begin to send out scheduling letters to some of the contractors on the new list.  This is a change from the past when OFCCP would wait at least 45 days from publication of the list before beginning audits.  See U.S.

On August 18, 2022, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued a revised version of its Directive 2022-01 - Advancing Pay Equity Through Compensation Analysis, which was originally issued on March 15, 2022.

David Gartenberg said he is worried about the fact that the rule leaves the FAMLI benefits out of alignment with unpaid Family and Medical Leave benefits allowed under federal law. 

The Sum & Substance

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Erin Webber talks about the importance of networks, mentors and benefits for women and working moms in law firms.

Denver Business Journal

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On February 19, 2021, the U.S.

On June 29, 2024, Governor Newsom signed into law an amendment to California Code 1770, clarifying the scope of SB 478. Under SB 478 and previously published guidance from the attorney general, California restaurants were effectively prohibited from charging service fees or other surcharges, which many restaurants have implemented to offset rising costs, unless the amount of the service fee was specifically identified as part of the listed prices.

We have created a high-level guide that gives an “at a glance” snapshot of the severity of lockdown restrictions in 15 countries across Asia Pacific (APAC).  The guide covers the following topics: 

We have created a high-level guide that gives an “at a glance” snapshot of the severity of lockdown restrictions in 28 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). As COVID-19 developments across EMEA slow, the June guide will be the final monthly update of this guide and we will next update the guide when the information substantially changes. We hope you have found the content we have provided over the last 12 months useful.

Portugal recently approved significant changes to the country’s telework regime.

The Wisconsin Fair Employment Act (WFEA) prohibits employers from discriminating against applicants and employees on the basis of their arrest and conviction records.¹  Generally, an employer cannot make decisions on the basis of an arrest or conviction record unless the crimes “substantially relate” to the circumstances of the job at issue.²  For many years, the state agencies responsible for enforcing this law—the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and the Labor and Industry Review Commission (LIRC)—have taken the view that crimes of domestic violen

California state and local governmental bodies—our state legislature, and counties and cities—were active again this year in their efforts to regulate the workplace. Littler Workplace Policy Institute has been tracking these bills as they worked their way through the legislature. Some were signed into law by Governor Newsom earlier this year and have already gone into effect.

On March 14, 2024, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed legislation that would add a new provision to the Massachusetts Consumer Protection law and would bar the use of true credit reports for employment purposes, i.e., for the purpose of evaluating an individual for employment, promotion, reassignment, or retention as an employee.  The legislation, entitled An Act Reducing Barriers to Employment Through Credit Discrimination (H.1434), is expected to be adopted by the Massachusetts Senate and promptly signed into law by Governor Maura Healy.  Once adopted, th

George Vassos explains new rules that broaden and clarify British Columbia’s ability to investigate employment compliance matters and tighten rules for hiring children younger than 16 years old.

SHRM Online

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Jay Inman says that vital industries, including healthcare, hospitality and manufacturing, will continue to see significant workplace changes in 2023.

The Lane Report

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California’s legislature covered a wide array of labor and employment law topics this legislative session. The laws discussed below were signed into law by Governor Newsom and will become effective on January 1, 2024 unless otherwise noted.  This Insight includes highlights of new laws affecting employers and is not intended to cover every new state and local law that was enacted this session.

Employers should begin reviewing these requirements to help ensure compliance with these new laws. Time to update those Employee Handbooks and train the management team!

Alyesha Dotson says the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on whether to overrule a 2003 decision that upheld affirmative action in student admissions won’t set new precedent for employers, but may have repercussions in how diversity, equity and inclusion programming is conducted moving forward.

Law360 Employment Authority

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Colleges and universities that employ their own students face conflicts about how to protect student information, as required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), while disclosing information about student-employees who seek to unionize, as required by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

On August 6, 2024, the National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel issued a memorandum with her advice about how higher education institutions should handle this dilemma.

In a significant decision about workplace drug use, the Connecticut Appellate Court backed an employer’s right to terminate a worker who was impaired on the job by medical marijuana. The decision also clarified the factual basis an employer must possess to justify ordering a drug test based on suspicion of impairment.

Devjani Mishra discusses the pandemic’s ongoing impact on the workplace revealed by key findings from Littler’s 2024 Annual Employer Survey Report.

Bloomberg Law

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On October 15, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor released expanded guidance for OSHA inspections of employers in the animal slaughtering and processing industry. This guidance supersedes previous guidance issued in 2015, which had been limited to poultry processing establishments.

On October 1, 2013, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (DOL) published a final rule in the Federal Register eliminating the Fair Labor Standard Act's (FLSA) minimum wage and overtime exemption for home care workers employed by home care agencies and other companies.  The new regulations also significantly narrow the exemption for home care workers employed directly by the individuals or families receiving home care services. 

Libby Henninger authored this article outlining focus areas for employers reviewing compensation policies and practices.

Food & Beverage Magazine

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(November 16, 2023) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, is pleased to announce that attorneys in its Colombia, Portugal, Puerto Rico and Spain offices have been recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers^®.

The individual attorneys that were recognized include the following:

MEXICO (December 7, 2023) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, is pleased to announce that attorneys in its Mexico offices have been recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers^®.

The individual attorneys that were acknowledged include:

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 12, 2024) – Littler shareholder Tyler A. Sims testified today before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce at a joint hearing of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development and the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions on “Safeguarding Student-Athletes from NLRB Misclassification.”

(May 30, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has been selected as one of the “Best Law Firms for Women and Diversity” for the 15th time by Seramount, a professional services and research firm dedicated to advancing inclusion, equity and diversity (IE&D) in the workplace for over four decades. Seramount annually surveys law firms to assess how they utilize best practices to recruit, retain, develop and advance lawyers who are women, people of color and those from underrepresented groups.

(June 21, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, and its attorneys have been featured in the 2025 editions of Best Lawyers^® in France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.

The individual attorneys that were listed include the following:

(August 15, 2024) – More than 240 lawyers  from Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, have been included in the 31st edition of The Best Lawyers in America^® guide.

TORONTO (August 29, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labour law practice representing management, is pleased to announce that three of its attorneys have been featured in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada™ in Labour and Employment Law.

The attorneys included in this year’s edition were:

NEW YORK (October 9, 2024) – Littler attorney Michael Paglialonga testified before the New York City Council’s Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection today on behalf of Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute^® (WPI^®), the firm’s government relations and public policy arm.

(November 7, 2024) – For the 15th consecutive year Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has achieved “National Tier 1” rankings for the following practice areas in the 15th edition of Best Law Firms^®, ranked by Best Lawyers^®:

Stacey James and Jamie L. Santos discuss a California amendment that seeks to allow restaurants to support higher wages and benefits while clearly disclosing service fees to consumers upfront.

Wolters Kluwer

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Denise Backhouse shares how best to alleviate data risks that many e-discovery professionals may face in the new year.

Legaltech News

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Niloy Ray and Alice H. Wang say California’s Senate Bill 1047 represents another significant step forward in the state’s wide-ranging efforts to regulate the development and use of AI.

Daily Journal

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Michael Lotito comments on states banning captive audience meetings.

Law360

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