OK, I admit it. This was not a "frequently asked question" until recently, after the New York Times ran a piece by a University of Texas economist who argued that the anti-discrimination laws should protect ugly people.

Since that time, this ridiculous highly creative suggestion has been blogged and tweeted about everywhere, so I would say that it now qualifies as a true "FAQ." In any ...

Over the next 7 business days, I'll have a series of short posts addressing common questions that employers have about the law. If there is an "FAQ" that you would like for me to address, please let me know in the comments box.

I may also have more in-depth postings as circumstances warrant.

Employer FAQ No. 5: Is there any difference between light duty and reasonable accommodation?

Most of ...

Over the next 11 business days, I'll have a series of short posts addressing common questions that employers have about the law. If there is an "FAQ" that you would like for me to address, please let me know in the comments box.

I may also have more in-depth postings as circumstances warrant.

Employer FAQ No. 1: "What exactly is the interactive process?"

The quick answer is this: The ...

It's not just London that is suffering from unrest these days -- there is reason to believe that American workplaces are far from heaven, too, even for those who are still fortunate enough to be employed.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that approximately 75 percent of departing employees would not recommend their former employers to others looking for a job, almost a ...

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently held a meeting with "a battery of experts" on disparate treatment in hiring. According to the EEOC, hiring discrimination continues to run rampant.

Time for a grain of salt here: According to the EEOC's press release, most of the experts were from the EEOC, or were individuals who had been denied jobs and claimed they were ...

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission held a public hearing this week on leave of absence as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

This is a smokin' hot subject, particularly in light of the ADA Amendments Act and its regulations, which expand the ADA's coverage to a dramatically larger population, the "new," more activist EEOC under Chair ...

A few weeks ago, I posted my thoughts about how the expanded definition of "disability" under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act will affect administration of the Family and Medical Leave Act. I promised to follow up with a post about the impact of the ADAAA on the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act "unless more pressing news intervene[d]."

As expected ...

Here are some "bad news" items from the employment law world:

Evil, money-grubbling lawyers (is that redundant?) who rip off their clients. Forbes has a disheartening article on "nine ways lawyers inflate their bills." Some of the alleged practices are astounding to even me, a lawyer: charging clients for use of conference rooms when the clients are meeting with the lawyers  ...

Plaintiff's lawyer Donna Ballman and The Evil HR Lady have had good posts recently on common employee misconceptions about employment law, including the "right" to see what is in one's personnel file and the "right" to take a break.*

*Depending on where the employee lives, he may have these rights, but in many states he does not. And the federal Fair Labor Standards Act does not require ...

H.L. Mencken once said, "No one in this world, as far as I know . . . has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people." Being a "small d" democrat and believing that stupidity is not limited by one's social standing, I'd delete "the great masses of the plain."

But, apart from that nit, I am in awe -- I just can't figure out how Mr. Mencken ...