While we can’t control the weather, we typically have control over decisions regarding driving in dangerous conditions. But what happens if road conditions are poor and you need to get to work? Can you get fired for not coming to work due to dangerous roads? Let’s take a look at what makes roads dangerous and what your rights are as an employee.

The Supreme Court made a major decision on June 15, 2020. They ruled that discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity was unconstitutional, based on the language in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act prohibits sex discrimination.

Having a job can sometimes provide a sense of financial security and stability in your life. When that job causes more anxiety than comfort, though, your work environment could qualify as causing you emotional distress. In fact, over 65% of workers say that workplace stress has caused difficulty in their lives. That difficulty could lessen productivity and increase missing work, alcohol or substance abuse, and physical and mental health problems, according to the American Institute of Stress (AIS).

When your mental or physical health is being negatively impacted by work, you could potentially sue your employer for emotional distress. A Little Rock employment lawyer will be your best asset against your employer because they can expertly guide you through the legal process and most effectively present your case. Let’s look at some of the specifics when it comes to suing for high levels of anxiety and stress in the workplace.

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week made it easier for federal workers over 40 to sue for age discrimination. The ruling was for a case brought by Noris Babb, a clinical pharmacist for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Bay Pines, FL. Beginning in her late 40s, she noticed she was not getting advanced positions that paid more, but that predominantly men in their 30s were getting the jobs.

As an employee, you do your best to meet your job obligations and be a team player. When a coworker, supervisor, or employer makes your work environment uncomfortable, it can affect you in a number of ways and make it hard to work. Victims of harassment need to know that harassment is illegal and employment laws can help.

If you’ve experienced inappropriate behavior at work from an employer or coworkers, it’s important to understand the line between unwanted attention and harassment. Having this knowledge will help you decide what type of action to take to protect yourself.

Reporting an instance of on-the-job sexual harassment to your Human Resources (HR) department doesn’t always go the way you expect. Reporting to HR is the first step you should always take, but unfortunately, they may take steps to downplay or brush off what happened or delay looking into what happened in hopes of not having to take action against your claim. If you’re in situation like this, what are your options when HR ignores your sexual harassment claim? Let’s take a look at some other options you may have.

When you’re dealing with mistreatment at work, whether it’s from a coworker or supervisor, you may be unsure if you have the right to take legal action. Often times, there’s a difference between what a person thinks is harassment, versus what the legal definition says. In order to bring some clarity to the situation, we’ll be discussing common examples of workplace harassment.

We’ll look at the general types of harassment, physical, mental, authoritative, discriminatory, and retaliation, and break those down into real-world examples, so you’ll be able to identify harassment if or when it happens in your workplace. No matter what type of harassment you’re dealing with, it’s crucial that the liable party be held accountable for their actions. You have the right to feel safe and comfortable, no matter where you work.

When we go to work, we expect to be in an environment where people respect each other. With this foundation, communication, work quality, and productivity can thrive. However, there are some workplaces that don’t treat all employees the same. While discrimination is illegal, it can still happen. When it does, legal recourse may be an option.

It can be scary to think about coming forward with a discrimination allegation. People may choose not to do it because they’re afraid of backlash, such as losing their job. However, those who have filed complaints because of discrimination are legally protected from facing discrimination when they’ve filed a charge, made a complaint, or took part in an investigation or lawsuit.

To better understand how an employer or high profile individual could commit illegal crimes of abuse such as in situations involving forced labor and/or human trafficking, it’s important to note that these individuals have a skewed perception of reality. Harassing behavior of any kind is a way to establish dominance, maintain or gain power, and intimidate others. Common characteristics of the mentality in which a person may justify his or her abusive actions include:

Entitlement – the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.

Narcissism – people with this personality disorder have a lack of empathy for other people and crave admiration. These people are frequently described as arrogant, self-centered, manipulative, and demanding. They may also have grandiose fantasies and may be convinced that they deserve special treatment.

Low to No Moral Principles – having little to no understanding or awareness of what is right and wrong. This is also considered lacking integrity or the honesty and truthfulness of one’s actions.

Displacement of Responsibility – unwillingness to see his or her own shortcomings and uses everything in his or her power to avoid being held accountable for them. This is also known as projection; a defense mechanism used to displace responsibility of one’s negative behavior and traits by attributing them to someone else.

Objectification – when one views others with whom they are in a working or personal relationship with as objects or possessions.

Over the past several months, national attention has turned towards Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, who was recently charged with two misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution after paying for and receiving sexual services from the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Fla. Each count carries a maximum jail term of one year, along with 100-hours of community service and a $5,000 fine.  At the time Robert Kraft was arrested, the Orchids of Asia Day Spa was under police surveillance in connection with a human trafficking and prostitution investigation that ultimately led to the uncovering of a prostitution operation within 10 Central and Southern Florida day spas in direct connection to China.

Kraft was due to appear in court on March 28 to accept or decline a proposed prosecution deal extended to him by the Palm Beach County Attorney’s Office. Acceptance of the deal could have led to the prosecution dropping criminal charges against Kraft, but required Kraft to admit that prosecutors have enough evidence against him to convict him if he went to trial. In this scenario, Kraft must have also agreed to a sexually transmitted diseases screening, completed an education course on prostitution, and completed 100-hours of community service. Kraft turned down the plea deal. Since then, video evidence including the on-site surveillance tapes and video evidence used to identify Kraft during the traffic stop has been thrown out of the case.