Harassment has been defined as conduct in the workplace that rises to the level of creating a “hostile” environment. Another important aspect of this is that the conduct is based on the protected characteristic of the employer who is on the receiving end of the harassing behavior and who is, thus...

New Jersey Acting AG Announces Support of Stronger Federal Protections
Employment law evolves just like any other area of the law. It is important to stay as current as possible with employment law happenings for both employers and employees alike. Changes can have important and significant impacts on all. Recently, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck announced that New...

Notice and Posting Requirements for Employers
Pursuant to New Jersey law, employers are required to prominently display certain official posters which inform employees of their rights as well as the responsibilities of their employers. Should an employer fail to comply with the mandating posting requirements, they could be subject to monetary fines, along with other penalties. Here, we...

Protection Against Employment Discrimination for Marijuana Use
In February of 2021, New Jersey Governor Murphy signed three key pieces of cannabis legislation. The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act, the “Cannabis Act,” legalized the recreational use and possession of cannabis and cannabis products in New Jersey. There was also a decriminalization law that legalized possession...

What Should Be Included in a Severance Agreement?
A severance agreement is a contract that an employee may be asked to sign by the employer upon termination from a job. While severance pay is usually a more prominent feature of a severance agreement, there are many other important terms that can and should be included in these legally binding...

What Damages are Available in an Employment Discrimination Case?
Have you suffered an adverse employment action as a result of discrimination? In other words, have you missed out on a job advancement opportunity, been fired, or had to endure some other injustice regarding your job because you have been discriminated against due to your race, color, national origin, sex, religion,...

Complications with Religious Exemptions for COVID-19 Vaccination
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many changes to all of our lives. We live and approach the world in so many new ways and the longer the pandemic persists, the more it looks like “back to normal” will not be possible. Instead, we must prepare ourselves for a new normal. Employers and...

Age Discrimination Protection Under New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination
Back on October 5th of 2021, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed Assembly Bill No. 681 into law. The bill amends New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination. The amendment prohibits New Jersey government employers from putting workplace policies in place that force employees over the age of 70 to retire. Here, we will...

Hiring Preferences for Employees Terminated Due to Workplace Injury
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a new law on September 24, 2021, which went into immediate effect. The new law imposes a new requirement on employers regarding hiring preferences to those employees who have lost their jobs due to workplace injury. As no one or no workplace is immune from accidents...

New Jersey’s Conscientious Employee Act
New Jersey’s Conscientious Employee Act (CEPA) is, at its essence, a broad law providing whistleblower protection. The Act provides a shield against retaliation for employees who have voiced their objections to something occurring in the workplace that they believe to be in violation of the law. A retaliatory action may be the...