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Quick Hits The partial government shutdown in 2025 has curtailed OSHA’s routine operations, but this is unlikely to cause a dramatic near-term deterioration in worker safety. During the shutdown, OSHA’s contingency plan focuses on preserving essential functions that protect human life and property, such as responding to reports of imminent danger, investigating fatalities, and maintaining a minimal supervisory structure. This ensures that the most severe hazards are still addressed, even…

Quick Hits USCIS will end its practice of automatically extending EADs for foreign nationals who file renewal applications—including for adjustments of status and H-4 EAD renewals—based on certain employment authorization categories. The new policy will not affect automatic extensions granted for EAD applications filed before October 30, 2025. If an EAD renewal application (Form I-765) was timely filed before the EAD expiration and before October 30, 2025, then it is…

Quick Hits In Galarza v. One Call Claims, LLC, No. 23-13205 (October 16, 2025), a three-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously reversed a federal district court’s 2023 ruling that insurance adjusters were independent contractors for One Call Claims and the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association. The court concluded that the employers managed the adjusters’ work schedules, controlled their pay rates, directed work tasks, and limited their ability…

Quick Hits Recent case law has indicated a gradual shift toward holding employers liable for employees’ sexual misconduct. To expand this liability for employers while acknowledging the risk of creating too much liability, the rule only applies to sexual assault that meets specific criteria, including only applying in circumstances where the victim is “particularly vulnerable.” This rule only applies to employer-employee relationships and does not create any liability for actions…

Quick Hits Discrimination claims often hinge on the motive behind employment decisions, leading to extensive scrutiny of the decision-maker’s comments, knowledge, and timing, with plaintiffs’ lawyers seeking to expand the field of scrutiny and defense lawyers aiming to limit it to a single, unbiased decision-maker. Involving multiple people in employment decisions can increase the risk of unhelpful evidence and bias claims, as seen in scenarios where delayed communication and additional…

Quick Hits Requests for personal information are increasing across Canada, and timelines are tight. HR teams that plan ahead can avoid last-minute scrambles and compliance headaches. Whether federal, provincial, public, or private, every regime expects careful handling of personal data and specific timelines and exemptions to consider. A clear playbook, trained staff, and mapped data make access requests manageable. The organizations that invest in readiness protect privacy, reduce risk, and…

Quick Hits Legal and operational expectations require employers to protect workers from recognized hazards, respond promptly and proportionately, respect medical privacy, and communicate accurately without stigma in response to mpox cases in the workplace. Mpox spreads primarily through close, personal contact with lesions, scabs, or body fluids, and via contaminated materials, necessitating prompt isolation, targeted cleaning, and practical source control in the workplace. OSHA expects employers to follow established safety…