LEL Blog

What Do You Do When You Realize That You Made a Bad Hire?

June 24, 2026Employee Relations, HR Policies, New York City Employers, New York Employers, Others

Despite the best laid plans and intentions, most employers at some point encounter a new hire who they realize was a bad choice. The job description may have been clearly aligned with the responsibilities, the interviewing process may have been a... Read More..

NYS Law Restricts Employer Background Checks

June 10, 2026HR Policies, New York City Employers, New York Employers

When the internet and AI put so much data at our fingertips, it can seem quaint to think that there would be limits on the information that individuals can access with regard to job applicants and employees. Recent amen... Read More..

Federal Contractors Should Take Seriously Newest Trump Executive Order on DEI

April 13, 2026Connecticut Employers, Employer Notice Requirements, Federal Employment Developments, Harassment/Discrimination, HR Policies, New Jersey Employers, New York City Employers, New York Employers

Fourteen months after launching a full-throttled attack on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (DEI) as “unlawful,” which prompted multiple lawsuits, injunctive actions, and stalled enforcement initiatives, the T... Read More..

Workplace Investigations: Why Investigate?

March 31, 2026Connecticut Employers, Employee Relations, Harassment/Discrimination, HR Policies, New Jersey Employers, New York City Employers, New York Employers, Workplace Investigations, Workplace Training

Workplace investigations are not - or should not be - simply about helping an organization limit or avoid liability. The simple act of conducting an investigation cannot achieve that. Why? Because the investigation can only reveal whether there is... Read More..

Even if Unintended, Businesses Can Be Liable for Discrimination in New York and New Jersey

March 12, 2026Harassment/Discrimination, New Jersey Employers, New York Employers

Countering a Trump Executive Order issued last spring, New York and New Jersey have each declared that the states’ laws against discrimination prohibit both overt, intentional discrimination, and behaviors that have the effect of discriminating ag... Read More..

New and “Improved” NYS Trapped at Work Act Lets Employees “Take the Bag and Run”

February 19, 2026Connecticut Employers, New Jersey Employers, New York City Employers, New York Employers

Employers that invest in their employees – with sign-on bonuses, relocation assistance, visa or green card sponsorship, or tuition reimbursement programs – want to ensure that the favor is returned, that the employee will stay for some period of t... Read More..

Sick Time Laws Go Way Beyond Illness

February 19, 2026Connecticut Employers, Employee Relations, Employer Notice Requirements, HR Policies, New Jersey Employers, New York City Employers, New York Employers, Paid Leave Time, Sick and Safe Leave, Tri-State Employers

It all started in San Francisco. Twenty years ago, the city passed the first law requiring private employers to grant employees a bank of sick days that they could use when they were ill or injured. Over time, that manda... Read More..

Workplace Investigations: Don’t Overlook the Closeout Meeting

February 4, 2026Connecticut Employers, Employee Relations, Employer Notice Requirements, HR Policies, New Jersey Employers, New York City Employers, New York Employers, Workplace Investigations

A workplace investigator’s role may end upon reaching factual findings, but the work of the investigation should not. Procedurally, at that point the complaint-handling process is only half done. Four more stages need to be followed before the m... Read More..

Employee or Independent Contractor? It is a Question of Law, Not Personal Preference

January 27, 2026Connecticut Employers, HR Policies, New Jersey Employers, New York City Employers, New York Employers, Wage and Hour Laws

Small employers in particular, but not exclusively, too often fall into the trap of classifying individuals who work for them as independent contractors when that classification does not actually align with the work being performed. Federal and s... Read More..