Whether you have to wear a full suit and tie to work or simply have to keep your shoes on, workplace dress codes are common in Washington and throughout the rest of the country. Some Washington companies do it for the sake of professional uniformity, some do it for safety reasons, and some do it… Read More
Employment Blog
Here you can find the most recent employment law news and commentary on cases around the country. If you need assistance with employment law, don't hesitate to call us.
Unqualified Veteran Resigns as City Manager – Why Was He Hired?
In a recent post, we discussed how an Oregon employer had allegedly wrongfully discharged a former military service member, denying him his federally mandated employment protection. At the other extreme is the League of Oregon Cities, which hired a former service member to be the city manager for the city of Banks, Oregon – despite… Read More
Soldier Claims that His Firing Violates Federal Law
As the United States’ involvement in overseas military conflicts has continued for over ten years, military service members continue to require help in adjusting to life back at home. Aside from dealing with the physical and emotional scars of war, veterans often also have trouble finding civilian employment when they return from serving their country…. Read More
Seattle's Sick Law Extends Past Seattle
Washington employers, do you know aboutSeattle’s sick and Seattle’s sick and safe time law yet? time law yet? To surmise, the Sick and Safe Leave ordinance (Seattle Municipal Code 14.16) requires businesses located within the city of Seattle to provide paid sick and safe leave to their employees (notice that we did not say independent… Read More
Understanding Portland's Paid Sick Leave Ordinance
Last month, the Portland City Council unanimously voted to enact an ordinance guaranteeing the right to sick leave for employees in the city of Portland. The Portland ordinance follows similar measures enacted in San Francisco and Seattle, and it was pushed through by a large coalition of local activists and groups, including the non-profit Family… Read More
Oregon Combats Unemployment Fraud by Intercepting Tax Refunds
Almost everyone knows that the economy – across the world as well as within the United States – has been troubled for the last several years. As a result, many hardworking individuals have been forced to rely on unemployment benefits to help cover their basic living expenses while they try to reenter the job market…. Read More
Your Job and Your Jury Duty Rights
As a resident of the beautiful state of Washington, jury duty is your civic duty. Don’t worry, you are not being picked on—every state places similar obligations on their residents. You may have received many jury duty summons in your adult life and never been chosen to sit on a trial. That doesn’t matter here…. Read More
Company Health Tracking Programs Raise Privacy Concerns for Employees
In the quest for ever-increasing output, many companies have begun implementing health and wellness initiatives to ensure that their employees remain healthy, happy, and (most importantly) productive. However, a Portland company at the forefront of the quantified self movement – which uses statistical data about a person’s characteristics and activities in order to better understand… Read More
Does Your Employer Want to Be Your "Friend"?
In the not-so distant past, Facebook was mostly a way of keeping in touch with friends you had not seen since high school, and Twitter was largely used to keep people informed about your thoughts on current events (or, more realistically, your thoughts on what you ate for lunch). In the last few years, however,… Read More
What Constitutes Sexual Harassment in Washington?
You hear the term sexual harassment used all the time, but do you really know what it means? More specifically, do you know what constitutes sexual harassment in Washington? If you answered No to those questions, you are certainly not alone. Generally speaking, sexual harassment is any unwelcome physical or verbal conduct directed at an… Read More