On May 15, 2023, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) released updates to its “technical assistance” on COVID-19-related discrimination concerns in the workplace. The updated guidelines come in response to President Biden recently signing legislation that ended the COVID-19 National Emergency.

EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows called this installment of “the capstone to our

Key Takeaways

  • Individuals with a variety of hearing conditions may have disabilities covered by the ADA.
  • Pre-job offer disability-related questions can violate the ADA, but certain questions regarding the ability of a candidate to perform the essential functions of the role may be permissible.
  • Employers have a duty to provide accommodations for job applicants

On October 19, 2022, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released an updated “Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal” poster that covered employers under federal law are required to prominently display in the workplace.  The poster summarizes protections under various anti-discrimination laws that the EEOC enforces, such as Title VII, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and

On October 1, 2022, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas held that Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) guidance addressing sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in the workplace is unlawful. The case is State of Texas v. EEOC, Case No. 2:21-cv-00194-Z.

Background

As we previously reported, on June

Employers are more frequently relying on the use of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) tools to automate employment decision-making, such as software that can review resumes and “chatbots” that interview and screen job applicants. We have previously blogged about the legal risks attendant to the use of such technologies, including here and here.

On May 12,

On March 14, 2022, the EEOC released new guidance regarding caregiver discrimination and the COVID-19 pandemic, in light of many workplaces returning to in-person work. The new guidance supplements earlier guidance regarding the treatment of workers with caregiving responsibilities.

The new guidance reiterates that while the status of being a caregiver is not a protected