On September 17, 2019, Labor & Employment partner and member of the Proskauer Executive Committee Elise Bloom moderated “The New Workplace” panel at the Benchmark Women in Litigation NYC Forum where Proskauer was a sponsor. The forum boasts panels of women lawyers discussing the top legal issues facing in-house counsel. On the panel with Elise were Yvette Politis (associate general counsel, RELX), Marissa Coyne (SVP, employment & compliance counsel, Universal Music Group), Dolores DiBella (VP, legal affairs, NFL, & Proskauer alumna), Katie Manley (executive director, employment law, Morgan Stanley), and Rachel Philion (senior counsel, Proskauer).

The Panel discussed three important issues facing in-house counsel today—the aftermath of the #MeToo Movement, the changing workforce and emergence of new jobs created by the digital environment and pay equity.

Aftermath of the #MeToo Movement. After touching on the recent legislative developments in New York State related to workplace anti-discrimination protections, the panel discussed what steps their companies have taken to understand cultural shifts in the workplace. The panel discussed everything from organizational health studies to employee trainings—both off-the-shelf trainings and trainings tailored to a specific workforce. The panel’s focus on training aligns with the results of Proskauer’s most recent Value Insights Survey wherein 100% of respondents agreed that training was the most effective way to reduce complaints and reported providing anti-harassment, anti-discrimination and retaliation training to their employees.

The Emergence of New Jobs and the Changing Workforce. The panel also discussed how the workforce seems to be changing at a faster pace than ever before—e.g. shorter job tenures and the proliferation of a remote workforce. The discussion included how the emergence of new types of jobs created by the digital environment and the remote workforce has resulted in wage and hour challenges. The panel also touched on a number of new issues confronting in-house counsel, including altered priorities and expectations, remote accessibility, workplace culture, retaining and attracting talent and technological support.

Pay Equity. The panel briefly mentioned the legal landscape of pay equity and then dove into discussing their practical experience with pay-equity audits and the three main issues facing in-house counsel conducting an audit: privilege, transparency, and remedial action.

For more insight on these issues, please reach out to your Proskauer lawyer, Elise Bloom, Rachel Philion, Michelle Annese, Noa Baddish, Larissa Boz, or Hayley Fritchie.

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Photo of Elise M. Bloom Elise M. Bloom

Elise M. Bloom is widely hailed as one of the nation’s top employment lawyers and one of the most creative and effective discrimination wage and hour, class/collective action trial lawyers. She is particularly well-known for handling high profile, bet-the-company matters on behalf of…

Elise M. Bloom is widely hailed as one of the nation’s top employment lawyers and one of the most creative and effective discrimination wage and hour, class/collective action trial lawyers. She is particularly well-known for handling high profile, bet-the-company matters on behalf of significant national employers.

Elise is the former co-chair of Proskauer’s Labor & Employment Department, co-head of the Class & Collective Actions Group and previously served as a member of Proskauer’s elected Executive Committee for two terms.

With 30+ years in practice, Elise possesses extensive pre-trial and jury trial experience as well as conducting high-profile investigations. She has represented more companies in class actions challenging interns, trainees and volunteers than most others; this includes her precedent-setting win for Fox Searchlight Pictures in the “Black Swan” case. She also addresses a wider range of general employment issues through counseling and employer training programs.

A noted author and speaker on employment-related topics, Elise spearheads Proskauer’s annual Value Insights: Delivering Value in Labor and Employment Law survey. Elise has been recognized as one of the leading employment lawyers by several leading publications such as Chambers USA, Legal 500, New York Law Journal and Employment Law360, to name a few. She was recently recognized as “Labor & Employment Management Attorney of the Year” at Benchmark Litigation’s 2020 US Awards EAST. She has also been named “Best in Labor & Employment” at Euromoney’s Women in Business Law Awards Americas in 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2014. A client recently told Chambers USA, “She’s incredible. She has an intensity about her work and she knows how corporations work. To watch her in litigation is magic.”