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Last month marks a year since the Covid-19 pandemic fully emerged in the United States. Throughout the course of the last year, significant change has taken place at the state, national, and global levels in efforts to combat the extremity of the virus. As a result, progress has occurred in many sectors, including the transition of schools and jobs to virtual platforms, the implementation of social distancing guidelines and rigid cleaning requirements in businesses, and the mass distribution of the

Last month, Bonnie Jacobson, a waitress at Red Hook Tavernin Brooklyn, New York,
was fired for refusing to take the Covid-19 vaccine. In an interview with NBC News, Jacobson shared her hesitations in receiving the vaccine, including inadequate research about “the vaccine, fertility, and pregnancy.” She also stated she was not permanently against getting the vaccine but rather, preferred to wait for more conclusive research on the vaccine’s effects on fertility. According to an article published on 1010 Wins, Jacobson sent

Earlier this week, New York’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against the world’s largest online retailer, Amazon Inc., for mishandling worker safety during the Covid-19 pandemic. This lawsuit is not the first time Amazon has faced criticism for not providing a safe working environment for its employees. In 2020, workers filed several complaints against the company, including a petition signed by 600 employees  that urged the online retailer giant to improve working conditions. Attorney general, Letitia James, filed the complaint

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, employers have implemented a series of workplace changes mostly in concern of safety. Many employers have instituted a number of health safety measures such as social distancing, intense and more frequent cleaning, and mask-wearing for
their employees. These measures have followed the guidelines mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). To further emphasize the importance of safety during this time, President Joe Biden signed several executive orders last week, including one directed

The unexpected and sudden emergence of Covid-19 this past year has left many financially burdened, including Uber drivers. The U.S. unemployment rate reached 14.7 percent in April, the highest level since the Great Depression, leaving many businesses losing  profit and unable to keep employees’ jobs. As a result, many Uber drivers in upstate New York have applied for unemployment insurance benefits. Beginning in March, several employees filed cases against the company for classifying them as independent contractors and therefore denying

Google was subject to some criticism last month after firing one of its senior-level artificial-intelligence computer scientists, Timnit Gebru, for sending an email alluding to the company’s mistreatment of minority employees. Gebru, who held the position of a co-leader in Google’s Ethical AI Team in Silicon Valley, led and fostered research that assisted in raising the company’s status as a pioneer in the tech industry. According to the Washington Post, Gebru worked amongst a racially homogeneous group and was driven

Last month, Alysa Butler, a Coinbase employee, informed the New York Times about racial discrimination and exclusivity in the workplace. Butler was one of 15 black employees at the company who complained to the human resources department about ongoing issues around racism before leaving the company last year. Coinbase, a prominent cryptocurrency start-up in the United States, is not the first tech company that has had racial diversity problems. The tech industry has a reputation for placing a glass ceiling

Last month, the New York Times published an article mentioning a recent law that was passed in New Jersey regarding recreational marijuana usage. New Jersey residents voted to amend the state constitution and legalize the use of marijuana for adults 21 and older. The new bill is expected to take full effect on January 1st, 2021. New Jersey is anticipated to become one of the most prominent marijuana markets in the United States. This projection has urged neighboring states, like New

Is bullying illegal? The short answer is no. However, bullying in the workplace can constitute as unlawful harassment if it leads to a hostile work environment and/or if it is on the basis of a protected category, such as sex, race, religion, nationality. 

What Is Bullying and How Is It Different From Harassment?

Bullying is defined as a pattern of an undesired and aggressive behavior “that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.” Bullying can take verbal, social, and physical forms. According to