Employment Law This Week Podcast
Employment Law This Week® tracks the top developments in employment and labor law and workforce management in a matter of minutes every #WorkforceWednesday. This is the audio podcast version of the video series launched in October 2015 by law firm Epstein Becker Green.
Episodes
2025 reshaped the employment law landscape, bringing sweeping changes at both the federal and state levels. In this year-end special episode, Epstein Becker Green attorneys break down the most impactful developments for employers.
Key Issues for Employers:
- DEI rollbacks: ...
The landscape of restrictive covenants transformed in 2025, driven by a new administration's approach to federal oversight and decisive legislative action at the state level. Employers now face a complex environment where broad federal bans have stalled, but state-specific regulations—and opportunities—are rapidly evolving.
Key Takeaways for Employers:
- Read more
This week, we're covering new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance on reporting tips and overtime, a widened circuit split on National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) authority, and a delayed Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee vote on an NLRB nominee.
No Fines for Incorrect Reporting...
The EEOC, now under the leadership of Chair Andrea Lucas and with a full quorum for the first time in years, is signaling shifts in enforcement priorities that could have significant implications for employers.
What Employers Should Know:
- New Leadership: Chair Lucas has e...
This week, we examine what employers should anticipate as the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)—which currently has only one active member, a Democrat, and four vacancies—moves closer to regaining a quorum and resuming full operations.
What Restoring a Quorum at the NLRB Could Mean for Employers
For the first time in mo...
This week, we're covering the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL's) launch of Project Firewall to enforce H-1B visa compliance and new guidance on stand-alone fertility benefits, as well as a federal court ruling voiding gender identity protections.
Project Firewall: An H-1B Enforcement Initiative
This week, we discuss highlights from Epstein Becker Green's 44th Annual Workforce Management Briefing, which covered some of the most pressing issues for employers today.
Top Employment Insights: 44th Annual Workforce Management Briefing
Epstein Becker Green attorneys and clients from across the nation gathered in New York City this past week to share their insights on...
This week, we're covering an uptick in state-level employment law activity, federal court decisions on "captive audience" bans, and Rhode Island's new menopause accommodation requirements.
State Legislative Activity Increases
California has introduced new laws on paid sick leave, artificial...
This week, we explore the latest changes in state-level family and medical leave laws and how employers can stay compliant.
How to Stay Compliant with 2026 State Family and Medical Leave Laws
A wave of changes to state-level family and medical leave laws, set to take effect in 2026 and beyond—along with rece...
This week, we're covering the new H-1B visa fee, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC's) closure of disparate impact cases, and recent key labor appointments.
New Fee for H-1B Visas
Employers must now pay $100,000 for each first-time H-1B petition filed on or after September ...
This week, we examine the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC's) decisions to drop its appeal of a federal court ruling striking down its proposed non-compete ban and to issue warnings to health care employers about using unreasonable restrictive covenants in employment agreements.
FTC Backs Off Non-Compete Ban, Warns He...
This week, we examine new artificial intelligence (AI) regulations in California impacting employers.
AI in the Workplace: California Sets a New Compliance Standard
Read more
As religious rights in the workplace gain new attention, a recent OPM memo broadening religious accommodations for federal employees could impact employers everywhere—at home and in the office.
Essential Impacts for Employers:
- The federal memo expands religious accommodat...
This week, we're covering four key employer-focused developments: a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit challenging the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB's) authority, another Fifth Circuit decision restoring pregnant worker protections, the White House's reversal of a key non-compete executive order, and a co...
This week, we dig into the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit's new Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) collective action notice standard, the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL's) relaunched Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program, and the DOL's scaled-back approach to wage and hour investigation penalties.
New guidance from Attorney General Bondi urges federal funding recipients to reassess DEI programs to ensure compliance with anti-discrimination laws. This memo highlights actions deemed "unlawful DEI," including race-based scholarships, preferential hiring, and misapplied "neutral" criteria.
What This Means for Employers:
In Harrington v. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., the Ninth Circuit ruled that, in FLSA collective actions, federal courts must evaluate personal jurisdiction before allowing notices to out-of-state employees in nationwide claims—a move that strengthens employers' ability to challenge these cases.
Key Takeaways for Employers
This week, we're examining the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC's) stance on a federal non-compete ban, the expansive changes introduced by Florida's Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality, and Economic Growth (CHOICE) Act, and a pivotal ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) on pension withdrawal li...
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