New Bill Attacks Non-Disclosure Agreements and Would Protect Those Who “Reasonably Believe” Discrimination Occurred
Connecticut Employment Law Blog
by Daniel Schwartz
1w ago
It’s March and things are heating up at the General Assembly so let’s get right at the bills that employers should be aware of. Senate Bill 4 — which is deemed to be a Senate caucus priority bill, and thus something employers should pay attention to — redefines discrimination in a way that has never been done before and attacks non-disclosure agreements in doing so. A public hearing is scheduled for March 20th. The bill would create a new cause of action in court for the following “discriminatory practice” For an employer, by the employer or the employer’s agent to: (A) Refuse to hire or empl ..read more
Visit website
Neurodiversity in the Workplace – New PLI Article
Connecticut Employment Law Blog
by Daniel Schwartz
1M ago
This month, I published a new article for Practicing Law Institute Chronicle entitled Neurodiversity in the Workplace. The article builds off a post I did last November by taking a look at some of the cases that have tackled the subject. For those unfamiliar with the topic, I summarized it in the article as follows: Neurodiversity, according to Harvard Health Publishing, is defined as “the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; that there is no one ‘right’ way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits ..read more
Visit website
Marital Status Discrimination: The Unknown Protected Class
Connecticut Employment Law Blog
by Daniel Schwartz
1M ago
Last week, Law360 quoted me in an article on marital status discrimination. (They timed it for Valentine’s Day; make of that what you will.) The gist of the article is that marital status discrimination is something for employers to be mindful of. And for that premise, I’m in agreement. Several states, including Connecticut, explicitly prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of marital status. In fact, it’s right there in Conn. Gen. Stat. 46a-60(b)(1): It shall be a discriminatory practice in violation of this section. for an employer… to refuse to hire or employ or to bar or to di ..read more
Visit website
Appellate Court Affirms That Deadlines Are, Well, Deadlines and Locks Out Employee from Proceeding with Discrimination Claim
Connecticut Employment Law Blog
by Daniel Schwartz
1M ago
Employment discrimination claims are often decided on the merits of the claim. Courts routinely have to answer the question: Did the employer discriminate on the basis of a protected class against an employee in terminating the employment of that individual? But there’s another class of cases that can resolved on procedural grounds, often times in the employer’s favor. Employment discrimination claims have a statute of limitations. In Connecticut, if discrimination claims aren’t filed with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights or Opportunities or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commissi ..read more
Visit website
From the Archives – Beware Valentine’s Day
Connecticut Employment Law Blog
by Daniel Schwartz
1M ago
Don’t believe the hype — Valentine’s Day may be for lovers, but for employers, it’s only trouble. Indeed, back in 2011, I highlighted the perils of Valentine’s Day for employers recapping various cases in which Valentine’s Day played a central role. Given the day, I thought I would reprint it today as a reminder — please don’t send out hearts to your office crush. It’s Valentine’s Day! Chocolate, flowers, what could go wrong? There are, of course, a few of you who are scratching your head and thinking “How can anything go wrong? It’s a holiday full of love and romance!” And therein lies the p ..read more
Visit website
New Podcast Episode Tackles Upcoming Legislation and Non-Compete Agreements
Connecticut Employment Law Blog
by Daniel Schwartz
1M ago
As I took a bit of a breather with some blog posts, I’m pleased to announce another new episode of the From Lawyer to Employer podcast that I’ve been hosting these last several months. On the latest episode, I invite Nina Pirrotti, an employee-side attorney who has appeared on this blog many times before, to talk about some of the latest developments in employment law. We tackle the current state of non-disclosure agreements (including some legislation that is being proposed at the state level), non-compete agreements, and even artificial intelligence. This 20-minute episode is perfect for yo ..read more
Visit website
New Independent Contractor Test Only Adds More Questions
Connecticut Employment Law Blog
by Daniel Schwartz
2M ago
Over on my firm’s sister blog, the Employment Law Letter, my colleagues have a post this week about the issuance of final rule on Independent Contractors by the United States Department of Labor. As they note, the Final Rule establishes “a six-factor test based on the economic reality of the worker and potential employer relationship and may have a substantial impact on a number of industries.” On first glance, it seems to make some sense when trying to figure out if someone is an employee or independent contractor. After all, the new test will return to a “totality of the circumstances” anal ..read more
Visit website
What’s Ahead in 2024 for Employers?
Connecticut Employment Law Blog
by Daniel Schwartz
2M ago
Over the years, I’ve referred to a Magic 8 ball, tea leaves, a crystal ball and more to make predictions in what will happen in the upcoming year. In 2023, I noted that various bills would come up for consideration in the state legislature but that it was unclear whether any could muster enough support to pass. (A solid prediction as it turns out.) So where are we in 2024? Well, first off, with gridlock (and disfunction) reigning supreme in Congress, we’re likely to go through another year without any major laws being passed. On a national level, however, we’re likely to see big fireworks com ..read more
Visit website
NYC Bans Height and Weight Discrimination
Connecticut Employment Law Blog
by Daniel Schwartz
4M ago
A significant change has gone into effect New York City effective on November 22, 2023 with an amendment to the city’s Human Rights law. The key focus of this amendment is the prohibition of discrimination based on an individual’s height and weight in employment, housing, and public accommodations. The law prohibits NYC employers — that is, employers with employees resident in NYC — from making such decisions. The law specifically disallows employers from discriminating against employees or job applicants based on their actual or perceived height and weight. However, there are exceptions to t ..read more
Visit website
An Employment Law Checklist for Your Holiday Parties
Connecticut Employment Law Blog
by Daniel Schwartz
4M ago
With Thanksgiving now well behind us and COVID something that feels more manageable than in past years (notice my use of “feels”), some companies are planning for their first holiday party in four years. Of course, I’ve written about holiday parties before and much hasn’t changed. The biggest change from 2019 is that cannabis is now legal to use. While companies are free to bar its usage, thinking about what you would do if employees do use cannabis is a worthy exercise. We haven’t yet seen companies offering cannabis along side of alcoholic beverages, but I have no doubt that will happen soo ..read more
Visit website

Follow Connecticut Employment Law Blog on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR