New Sexual Harassment Protections Become Law

According to Peeples v. Clinical Support Options, Inc., No. 3:20-CV-30144-KAR, 2020 WL 5542719 (D. Mass. Sept. 16, 2020), providing the plaintiff with a mask was insufficient accommodation, holding “a majority of these so-called accommodations are workplace safety rules rather than an individualized accommodation to address Plaintiff’s disability.”

More than 865,000 women “left” the labor market in September 2020, demonstrating that the COVID pandemic is forcing women out of work. One in four women who are still in the workforce are considering downshifting their careers, or leaving the workforce entirely, due to the pressures of work and family care.Employers who are concerned about retaining their employees who are parents, especially mothers, can take some steps to ensure that parents are not forced to “choose” their families over their careers.

Employer-provided health care schemes are under severe strain and those who have already been laid off have been struggling to shore up the gaps in their coverage, all during a global health crisis.