Here are the latest updates and articles from our Employment Law and Labor Relations team, covering a range of current issues.
March 1 Deadline for Notification to Existing Employees About Their New Washington Paid Sick Leave Rights
By Nancy Anderson
This Thursday—March 1—is the deadline for Washington employers to provide notice to current employees about their new paid sick leave rights under Washington’s paid sick leave law. Read more >>
When the Love Bug Bites in the Workplace
By Matthew Tripp
Flowers, chocolates, love letters, and . . . costly litigation? As we enter the first Valentine's Day of the #MeToo era, a wise employer is wary of the risks associated with office romances. A new survey of 150 human resources executives published by outplacement company Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., shows a few of those risks. Read more >>
How Forward-Thinking Oregon Companies Can Avoid Implicit Bias
By Jollee Patterson and P.K. Runkles-Pearson
Growing social science research shows that most of us harbor implicit bias, just as a growing number of courts are making new case law about the issue. (This article was published in the Portland Business Journal and is available to paid subscribers.) Read more >>
Sexual Harassment Settlements May Not Be Deductible
By Bill Manne
The recently enacted 2017 Tax Act (known unofficially as the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act") amended the Internal Revenue Code to disallow an income tax deduction "for any settlement or payment related to sexual harassment or sexual abuse if such settlement or payment is subject to a nondisclosure agreement." Read more >>
