In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that employees claiming they have been the victim of reverse discrimination don’t have additional hoops to jump through before getting their day in court.

The time to conduct a pay-equity audit is before employees file a suit. Conducted proactively, the audits can prevent thousands or even millions of dollars in damages and legal fees.

The EEOC has highlighted the sections of its guidance it now will not enforce. These include numerous examples such as misgendering, outing someone’s gender identity, denying access to a bathroom consistent with the person’s gender identity and using epithets regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.

• W-4 updates and compliance. Stay current on the latest W-4 process, including electronic forms, and quickly bring your company into compliance.
• Guidance for side gigs and worksheets. Learn how employees with multiple jobs should complete the W-4 form, and understand the critical role of W-4 worksheets in accurate withholding.
• Effective employee communication. Develop a plan to guide employees—especially new hires—through the W-4 form to prevent costly mistakes.
• Managing outdated W-4s. Discover strategies for handling employees who don’t update their W-4s, including IRS solutions for different forms and methods.
• Rejecting invalid W-4s. Identify when to reject a W-4 and how to manage IRS letters that void an employee’s form.
• Ensuring withholding accuracy. Follow best practices for verifying your withholding processes, with step-by-step IRS guidance.
• Supplemental pay withholding. Master the rules for withholding on various types of supplemental pay.

Nothing is more likely to spur a lawsuit than a termination for misconduct or poor performance. Former employees may feel they have nothing to lose by suing you. That’s why you must prepare carefully. Before making a termination decision, you should follow these steps.

A memo makes clear that the DOJ wants whistleblowers to come forward with allegations of rogue DEI programs.

• The core elements of workplace due process and the importance of the written record in the discipline and termination processes.
• Tough conversations to have with employees that invite them to involve themselves in their own performance improvement.
• Structuring disciplinary documentation that is constructive and insulates the organization from legal liability.
• Alternatives to formal progressive discipline that re-engage employees without the formal trappings of “being written up.”
• Leadership landmines to avoid under all circumstances, especially regarding tricky situations that may miss awareness from good-natured yet unsuspecting managers.

Not only are sectors such as retail, construction and food service more likely to be hostile environments, but the managers you rely on to stop ongoing harassment may be engaging in the harassment themselves.

If we offer intermittent leave to an employee to care for an ailing parent, but he won’t present a medical certification, can we require him to take FMLA leave?

Sometimes, our differences may clash in ways that seem impossible to reconcile. It’s hard to make everyone happy. That doesn’t absolve employers from the obligation to try.