Your Voice for Justice in Ohio Employment and Civil Rights Matters
How to Ask Your Employer for a Flexible Work Arrangement The COVID-19 pandemic changed just about every aspect of daily life for people in Ohio, and throughout the rest of the country. While there were few positive aspects of the pandemic, one that emerged was that millions of people started working from home. Although working from home presents its own…
Can Employers Require COVID-19 Vaccinations? COVID-19 has brought constant change to the world for over a year now. As more Americans get vaccinated every day, it has brought much-needed hope, but also many questions. One of the most common questions to emerge over the past few months is whether employers can require COVID-19 vaccinations for their employees. Generally speaking, private…
What Qualifies as Workplace Sexual Harassment? When people think of sexual harassment in the workplace, they may first think of obvious forms of this type of behavior, such as inappropriate touching. Today, sexual harassment is often much more subtle, which is one reason so many people fail to report it. Many employees feel as though actions they are subjected to…
How to Identify Police Misconduct Under Ohio law, police misconduct falls into two different categories. The first is when law enforcement interferes with the civil rights of a citizen. The second is when police use a sham legal process to arrest or detain someone. Still, when police do not treat a person fairly, these definitions may not be the first…
Both federal and state laws protect workers from certain types of workplace retaliation. These laws make it unlawful for employers to retaliate against employees when they exercise certain rights. Employees may exercise their rights such as filing a discrimination or sexual harassment claim, filing for benefits such as workers’ compensation, or requesting reasonable accommodations for a disability. Federal and Ohio…
The Family and Medical Leave Act provides important support for employees who need to take time off to treat a serious medical condition, or to care for a family member with a serious medical condition. For covered employers, complying with FMLA is not voluntary. If an employee is eligible and requests leave, the employer must usually provide it. Employees sometimes…
What You Should Know About Severance Agreements Most workers in Ohio are considered at-will employees, meaning they do not have an employment contract and they can be fired at any time. Still, employees often work for many different employers during their life, and in some cases, their employer may offer them a severance agreement when either party terminates the employment…
What Can be Included in a Severance Agreement? Many employers offer their employees a severance package either at the time of employment or at the time of termination. Severance packages typically provide the employee with compensation and other benefits in exchange for the employee giving up some rights, such as working for a competitor upon leaving the company. If an…
You go to work every day to earn an honest living, and you expect to be rightfully paid for it. Unfortunately, employers sometimes do not pay employees their rightful minimum wage or overtime pay as outlined by Ohio law. Any time you feel as though your employer has not paid you the appropriate wages, it is important to speak to…
Can I Take FMLA for Placement of a Foster Child or Adoption? The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) clearly states that eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave during a 12-month period for the placement of a foster child or adoption. However, taking this leave has the potential to become complicated. People often have questions…