Ogletree Deakins Podcasts Ogletree Deakins

In this podcast recorded at Ogletree Deakins’ national Workplace Strategies seminar, Michael Eckard (office managing shareholder, Charleston) is joined by Bonnie Martin (office managing shareholder, Indianapolis) and Andy Tanick (shareholder, Minneapolis) to discuss recent legal developments in the area of religious accommodations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Groff v. DeJoy. The speakers discuss how the murky Groff ruling has left unanswered questions about what constitutes an “undue hardship” for religious accommodation requests. They also discuss the open questions regarding what qualifies as “sincerely held” and “religious beliefs,” as new contexts for these claims arise—including complaints about the use of preferred pronouns, DEI initiatives, and more.

In this podcast recorded at Ogletree Deakins’ national Workplace Strategies seminar, Eric Hobbs, who is chair of the firm’s Workplace Safety and Health Practice Group and a shareholder in the firm’s Milwaukee office, leads a discussion of the latest news from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), including the expanded electronic reporting requirements, new enforcement guidance on heat stress, the latest developments regarding safety in warehousing and fall protection, and the new proposed rule revising the walkaround inspection regulation. Eric is joined by Wayne Pinkstone (shareholder, Philadelphia) and Robert Rodriguez (shareholder, Sacramento), co-chair of the firm’s Workplace Violence Prevention Practice Group, to cover what’s to come in 2024—OSHA’s new standards on infectious diseases and workplace violence. As a bonus, Robert reviews the latest from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA).

In this installment of Ogletree Deakins’ Safety Basics podcast series, John Surma (shareholder, Houston) sits down with Jennifer Yanni (of counsel, Orange County) to discuss employers’ duty to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) standards and regulations. Jennifer and John cover both the general and special duty standards under the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, Injury Illness and Prevention Program (IIPP) regulations and violations, and defenses available to employers for various OSHA citations.

In this podcast recorded at Ogletree Deakins’ national Workplace Strategies seminar, Sheri Giger (shareholder, Pittsburgh) and Charles Thompson (shareholder, San Francisco) identify gaps that employers may have in their reasonable accommodation and leave of absence processes. Sheri and Charles, who is co-chair of the firm’s Leaves of Absence/Reasonable Accommodation Practice Group, discuss the intersection of the FMLA, ADA, and PWFA; workers’ compensation; reasonable accommodation obligations; short- and long-term disability laws; light duty under the ADA; and state law. The speakers offer practical tips, including identifying key internal players, checking for compliance gaps, and not taking a wrong turn when handling leave and accommodation requests.

In this episode of Dirty Steel-Toe Boots, Phillip Russell (shareholder, Tampa) is joined by Lauren Lenhart (associate, Tampa) to discuss how to prepare for an OSHA informal settlement conference. Lauren and Phillip cover the aftermath of an OSHA citation, including the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission’s (OSHRC) analysis of the citation, a preliminary assessment of the classification of each citation, negotiation of a monetary penalty for each citation, documentation of abatement, and investigation of citations. Phillip and Lauren also explain the importance of discussing corrective measures with OSHA and demonstrating the employer’s commitment to safety. Stay tuned for the next episode that will cover how to conduct the settlement conference.

In this podcast recorded at Ogletree Deakins’ national Workplace Strategies seminar, Burton Garland (shareholder, St. Louis) sits down with Trina Ricketts (shareholder, Kansas City) to discuss strategies to effectively deal with the ten types of toxic employees that can be found in the workplace—including the bully, the narcissist, the back stabber, the unmotivated, and more. Trina and Burt provide practical insights on dealing with some all-too-common, yet complicated, employee situations. Our speakers discuss how these situations can affect business reputation, employee morale, company culture, and, in some cases, revenue—in addition to practical ways to combat these issues.