February 24, 2023

Alex Berke quoted by Law 360: World Leaders' Exits Hold Lessons For Employers On Burnout

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been heightened awareness of employee burnout, as explored in Law360’s article, World Leaders' Exits Hold Lessons For Employers On Burnout. The article contains ideas from various employment lawyers on what employers can do to combat burnout and retain employees, including: paid sick leave, paid family leave, increased flexibility, and use of reasonable accommodations. 

Senior Associate Alex Berke stated: “Reasonable accommodations are a really good tool in the workplace for employees and employers," she said. "Employees on the verge of burnout might be experiencing depression, anxiety and they might need an accommodation like, 'I'm going to my therapist every week,' or 'I need a few days or weeks of leave.”

The reality is that more people are living with disabilities post-COVID-19, and it is essential for both employers and employees to understand the framework of reasonable accommodations. In doing so, they can create a culture of inclusivity and support for those who need it, while avoiding the costs of employee churn.

Read Anne Cullen’s article about employee burnout here.

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The Week in FFCRA Complaints: Yet More Wrongful Terminations and Retaliation

August 10, 2020
Leave
Disability Discrimination
As we noted last week, employers seem not to have gotten the message on paid leave under FFCRA and the two notable cases that came up this week both involve employer retaliation and wrongful termination against employees who were protected under FFCRA.

The Berke-Weiss Law Weekly Roundup: Black Pregnancy in New York City and School Reopening Reversals

August 10, 2020
Race Discrimination
Pregnancy Discrimination
We’re now a week into the expiration of the enhanced unemployment benefits of the CARES Act and the news is not good. Congress and the White House remain at least a trillion of dollars apart on a new deal, with the Senate GOP split, though their prized bit of the CARES Act, the corporate bailout, did not have an expiration date, unlike those parts aimed at protecting workers, such as the PUA and eviction moratoriums. Thus, with depressing predictability, there were a spate of alarming stories this week echoing the fears that tenant unions and activists have been voicing for months: by ending employment relief we are hurtling toward a cliff, over which lies massive, nationwide evictions.

The Week in FFCRA Complaints: Employers Do Not Seem to Understand Mandated Worker Protections

July 31, 2020
Leave
Disability Discrimination
t is starting to seem, from our perspective, that either employers have not been made sufficiently aware of the leave entitled to workers under the FFCRA or that they are willing to risk a lawsuit for wrongful termination.

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