• About Us
  • Get Insights to Your Inbox
Monday, March 27, 2023
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Insights@Questrom
  • Our Insights
    • All
    • Business Challenges
    • Business Education
    • Business Functions
    Starbucks fans are steamed:

    Starbucks fans are steamed:

    Is Creativity in Advertising Dead in the age of AI?

    Is Creativity in Advertising Dead in the age of AI?

    How Higher Ed Can Contend with Learning Platforms

    How Higher Ed Can Contend with Learning Platforms

    RxPass smartphone interface. (Amazon Photo)

    Meet Amazon’s New Prescription Plan: RxPass

    Inflation Cools, Prices Remain High

    Inflation Cools, Prices Remain High

    MBA Case Competitions: Meet Boston University’s Master Case Coach

    MBA Case Competitions: Meet Boston University’s Master Case Coach

    How Will AI & Machine Learning Impact Your Business?

    Do People Believe Generative AI?

    Buying gifts? Why ‘buy now, pay later’ could be a dangerous option for many holiday shoppers

    Buying gifts? Why ‘buy now, pay later’ could be a dangerous option for many holiday shoppers

  • Videos & Podcast
    • All
    • Podcast
    • Videos
    S1:E1 CVS Paying the “Pink Tax” on Certain Products and the Evolution of the Electric Vehicle Industry

    AI: What is it and how will impact business?

    Is Creativity in Advertising Dead in the age of AI?

    Is Creativity in Advertising Dead in the age of AI?

    How Higher Ed Can Contend with Learning Platforms

    How Higher Ed Can Contend with Learning Platforms

    How Companies Deal with Disruption

    How Companies Deal with Disruption

    Money: It’s created. It’s destroyed. But what is it?

    Money: It’s created. It’s destroyed. But what is it?

    Blockchain, Beyond Crypto

    Blockchain, Beyond Crypto

    S1:E1 CVS Paying the “Pink Tax” on Certain Products and the Evolution of the Electric Vehicle Industry

    S1:E2 What the FTX?

    S1:E1 CVS Paying the “Pink Tax” on Certain Products and the Evolution of the Electric Vehicle Industry

    S1:E1 CVS Paying the “Pink Tax” on Certain Products and the Evolution of the Electric Vehicle Industry

    Gender Differences and the Job Search

    Gender Differences and the Job Search

  • Insights Events
    • Events
    • Insights Live
    • Questrom Institute Events
  • In the Media
    • All
    • BU Today
    • Global Media
    • Local Media
    • National Media
    • Op-Ed
    • The Brink
    Could This Meeting Have Been an Email?

    Could This Meeting Have Been an Email?

    Bankers Are Scoring Big Profits as Rates Soar. Now They’re Facing a Backlash

    Bankers Are Scoring Big Profits as Rates Soar. Now They’re Facing a Backlash

    A Risk Management Nightmare at Silicon Valley Bank

    A Risk Management Nightmare at Silicon Valley Bank

    SVB Crisis: What happened and what’s ahead?

    SVB Crisis: What happened and what’s ahead?

    Why are Banks Failing and Does That Herald Another Financial Crisis?

    Why are Banks Failing and Does That Herald Another Financial Crisis?

    Companies Scramble to Meet Payroll, Pay Bills After SVB’s Swift Failure

    Companies Scramble to Meet Payroll, Pay Bills After SVB’s Swift Failure

    Million-Dollar Teardowns

    Million-Dollar Teardowns

    Can We Trust ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence to do Humans’ Work?

    Can We Trust ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence to do Humans’ Work?

    [WalletHub] Expert Thoughts on Chase Freedom Unlimited

    Best Car Insurance Companies

    Trending Tags

    • Publications
      • All
      • Books
      • Harvard Business Review
      • Journals
      • Sloan Management Review
      Will Generative AI Create a New Era of Search Competition?

      Will Generative AI Create a New Era of Search Competition?

      ‘Your Messaging Sucks’

      ‘Your Messaging Sucks’

      How Coworking Spaces Impact Employee Well-Being

      How Coworking Spaces Impact Employee Well-Being

      Will Salary Transparency Laws Change Employee Compensation?

      Will Salary Transparency Laws Change Employee Compensation?

      Heroes from Above But Not (Always) from Within? Gig workers’ reactions to the sudden public moralization of their work

      Heroes from Above But Not (Always) from Within? Gig workers’ reactions to the sudden public moralization of their work

      To Encourage Patients to Fill Prescriptions, Fix Copays

      To Encourage Patients to Fill Prescriptions, Fix Copays

      Is Tesla’s Era of Dominance Coming to an End? What Experts Say

      Is Tesla’s Era of Dominance Coming to an End? What Experts Say

      ESG Investing

      ESG Investing Isn’t Designed to Save the Planet

      Epinephrine Autoinjector Costs Remain High for Some Patients with Private Insurance

      Epinephrine Autoinjector Costs Remain High for Some Patients with Private Insurance

      Trending Tags

      Insights@Questrom
      • Our Insights
        • All
        • Business Challenges
        • Business Education
        • Business Functions
        Starbucks fans are steamed:

        Starbucks fans are steamed:

        Is Creativity in Advertising Dead in the age of AI?

        Is Creativity in Advertising Dead in the age of AI?

        How Higher Ed Can Contend with Learning Platforms

        How Higher Ed Can Contend with Learning Platforms

        RxPass smartphone interface. (Amazon Photo)

        Meet Amazon’s New Prescription Plan: RxPass

        Inflation Cools, Prices Remain High

        Inflation Cools, Prices Remain High

        MBA Case Competitions: Meet Boston University’s Master Case Coach

        MBA Case Competitions: Meet Boston University’s Master Case Coach

        How Will AI & Machine Learning Impact Your Business?

        Do People Believe Generative AI?

        Buying gifts? Why ‘buy now, pay later’ could be a dangerous option for many holiday shoppers

        Buying gifts? Why ‘buy now, pay later’ could be a dangerous option for many holiday shoppers

      • Videos & Podcast
        • All
        • Podcast
        • Videos
        S1:E1 CVS Paying the “Pink Tax” on Certain Products and the Evolution of the Electric Vehicle Industry

        AI: What is it and how will impact business?

        Is Creativity in Advertising Dead in the age of AI?

        Is Creativity in Advertising Dead in the age of AI?

        How Higher Ed Can Contend with Learning Platforms

        How Higher Ed Can Contend with Learning Platforms

        How Companies Deal with Disruption

        How Companies Deal with Disruption

        Money: It’s created. It’s destroyed. But what is it?

        Money: It’s created. It’s destroyed. But what is it?

        Blockchain, Beyond Crypto

        Blockchain, Beyond Crypto

        S1:E1 CVS Paying the “Pink Tax” on Certain Products and the Evolution of the Electric Vehicle Industry

        S1:E2 What the FTX?

        S1:E1 CVS Paying the “Pink Tax” on Certain Products and the Evolution of the Electric Vehicle Industry

        S1:E1 CVS Paying the “Pink Tax” on Certain Products and the Evolution of the Electric Vehicle Industry

        Gender Differences and the Job Search

        Gender Differences and the Job Search

      • Insights Events
        • Events
        • Insights Live
        • Questrom Institute Events
      • In the Media
        • All
        • BU Today
        • Global Media
        • Local Media
        • National Media
        • Op-Ed
        • The Brink
        Could This Meeting Have Been an Email?

        Could This Meeting Have Been an Email?

        Bankers Are Scoring Big Profits as Rates Soar. Now They’re Facing a Backlash

        Bankers Are Scoring Big Profits as Rates Soar. Now They’re Facing a Backlash

        A Risk Management Nightmare at Silicon Valley Bank

        A Risk Management Nightmare at Silicon Valley Bank

        SVB Crisis: What happened and what’s ahead?

        SVB Crisis: What happened and what’s ahead?

        Why are Banks Failing and Does That Herald Another Financial Crisis?

        Why are Banks Failing and Does That Herald Another Financial Crisis?

        Companies Scramble to Meet Payroll, Pay Bills After SVB’s Swift Failure

        Companies Scramble to Meet Payroll, Pay Bills After SVB’s Swift Failure

        Million-Dollar Teardowns

        Million-Dollar Teardowns

        Can We Trust ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence to do Humans’ Work?

        Can We Trust ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence to do Humans’ Work?

        [WalletHub] Expert Thoughts on Chase Freedom Unlimited

        Best Car Insurance Companies

        Trending Tags

        • Publications
          • All
          • Books
          • Harvard Business Review
          • Journals
          • Sloan Management Review
          Will Generative AI Create a New Era of Search Competition?

          Will Generative AI Create a New Era of Search Competition?

          ‘Your Messaging Sucks’

          ‘Your Messaging Sucks’

          How Coworking Spaces Impact Employee Well-Being

          How Coworking Spaces Impact Employee Well-Being

          Will Salary Transparency Laws Change Employee Compensation?

          Will Salary Transparency Laws Change Employee Compensation?

          Heroes from Above But Not (Always) from Within? Gig workers’ reactions to the sudden public moralization of their work

          Heroes from Above But Not (Always) from Within? Gig workers’ reactions to the sudden public moralization of their work

          To Encourage Patients to Fill Prescriptions, Fix Copays

          To Encourage Patients to Fill Prescriptions, Fix Copays

          Is Tesla’s Era of Dominance Coming to an End? What Experts Say

          Is Tesla’s Era of Dominance Coming to an End? What Experts Say

          ESG Investing

          ESG Investing Isn’t Designed to Save the Planet

          Epinephrine Autoinjector Costs Remain High for Some Patients with Private Insurance

          Epinephrine Autoinjector Costs Remain High for Some Patients with Private Insurance

          Trending Tags

          Insights@Questrom
          Home Our Insights Business Challenges Future of Work

          Employment Law Issues in 2021

          Kabrina Krebel ChangbyKabrina Krebel Chang
          August 31, 2021
          in Future of Work
          19
          A A
          Employment Law Issues in 2021

          EMPLOYMENT LAW

          How have employment laws changed since the pandemic in terms of disability, inclusion, and harassment issues?

          The federal government and many states passed emergency laws providing paid sick leave for workers for COVID-related illness and caretaking. Prior to this, many hourly workers, who are our essential workers, did not have any paid sick leave or paid caretaking time off. Also, the federal government and states passed emergency unemployment benefits laws to accommodate the millions of workers unemployed due to the pandemic. However, these laws will expire.

          We have seen more recently employers requiring employees get vaccinated in order to return to work. Any requirement like this must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal laws; there must be room for a reasonable accommodation for employees who cannot get vaccinated due to a disability or a sincerely held religious belief unless accommodating the employee would jeopardize the viability of the business.

          What policies are companies adopting above and beyond legal requirements to better navigate these issues?

          The successful shift for many businesses to work from home may seem like a win for disabled workers, and for many it probably is. But for years disabled workers have been asking to work from home or a more flexible work arrangement as a reasonable accommodation so they can continue working and have been denied or even lost their jobs. This pandemic has proven that in many industries working from home is doable and hopefully more businesses will be willing to discuss this as a viable option. Of course, the law requires the accommodation to be reasonable, so for some disabled workers in jobs where working from home was never an option, nothing has changed.

          For many people of color, women in particular, working from home has been freeing. According to a Future Forum survey (as reported by the New York Times) 97% of black respondents said they preferred working remotely or hybrid. Only 3% said they wanted to return to the office, compared to 21% of white workers. For many respondents, working from home meant they were not reminded that they were the only black person in their office, and they did not experience

          the many microaggressions that happen when in person. This impacts the entire business: in the same survey 50% of black workers said they felt a stronger sense of belonging and inclusion at work once they started working from home.

          What flaws or failures in the current employment law landscape have been revealed by the COVID-19 crisis?

          In addition to what I mentioned above, working from home has not led to less harassment unfortunately. What would have taken place in the office has just moved online. Virtual harassment can occur without witnesses or a paper trail. In an office setting it might be easier for a worker to never be alone with a person. The added layer of technology, whether video, chat, or text, can embolden employees to say or do things they would not do in person, but it also erases social cues. It is difficult to read tone in a text and words can be misconstrued. Lastly, when working from home inappropriate remarks or conversations over Zoom or chat are invasive in a way they are not when done in an office setting.

          While the behavior might not change, in some circumstances online conversations could produce better evidence of harassment. Text threads can be saved or printed, and if a Zoom conversation is recorded there is a transcript generated as well. This may put a victim in a better position than had the conduct happened in the office and evidence was just based on the party’s testimony.

          What long-term changes to labor regulations do you foresee developing as a result of the events of the past 18 months?

          The events of the past 18 months are not over. As we see today with the Delta variant, the virus is not contained. Because of this, I don’t foresee many businesses flipping a switch and getting back to a pre-pandemic work environment. The gradual and evolving nature of our recovery is an opportunity for businesses to re-think how they did business before the pandemic and assess what makes sense in the new reality. Most likely it will be a spectrum of solutions.

          Many businesses are re-thinking workplace flexibility not just for the near term, but as a long- term option for workers, like Twitter for example. At the other end of the spectrum, Goldman Sachs is requiring a return to a fully in-person office. Hopefully somewhere on this spectrum is the recognition that working from home is a proven reasonable accommodation for some disabled workers and employers will be more likely to agree that it could make sense.

          Because of the need for labor, employers who typically hired hourly workers with no benefits now need to incentivize applications. Yesterday I walked by my local burrito and taco place, quick serve with very little seating, and they had a sign in the window hiring hourly workers, offering paid sick leave, paid time off, and free meals. Probably not what they offered workers pre-pandemic but necessary in this market and perhaps for the foreseeable future.

          The pandemic has also brought into stark relief the caregiving burden on women who had to (and still are) juggle working, caregiving, and homeschooling young children. Burnout and mental health issues are legitimate concerns as is the exodus of women from the workforce.  We have no federal leave laws, and only 15 states and the District of Columbia have paid leave laws. Hopefully the pandemic has made the need for paid leave clear and state legislatures will introduce leave bills.  Many companies may re-think their rigid paid time off policies to allow a more flexible approach to better accommodate workers’ individual obligations. For example, instead of losing any unused paid time off an employee could cash in any unused time. Businesses might recognize the vital role child-care plays not just in the lives of families, but in the lives of businesses as well. On-site childcare or childcare benefits could be ways to attract, retain, and get the best out of many of their workers.


          Tags: Employment LawKabrina Chang
          Share2Tweet1ShareShareSend
          Kabrina Krebel Chang

          Kabrina Krebel Chang

          Kabrina Krebel Chang is a Clinical Associate Professor of Business Law and Ethics in the Markets, Public Policy, and Law Department at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. She teaches Introduction to Business Law and Employment law in the undergraduate program and MBA programs. Professor Chang’s research focuses on employment matters, in particular social media, and how that impacts employment and management decisions, and on corporate social advocacy. Her work has been published in academic journals, news outlets such at The New York Times, Quartz.com, Bloomberg, and The Boston Globe, and in magazines such as Forbes and Harvard Business Review. Professor Chang has won several awards for her teaching and writing. Before her academic career, Professor Chang was a trial lawyer in in private practice.

          Related Posts

          Has Hybridity Killed Teamwork?
          Future of Work

          Has Hybridity Killed Teamwork?

          June 2, 2022
          Shot of a young businessman looking stressed out while working in an office at night
          Future of Work

          Burnout and Loneliness: Workplace Problems, Not Worker Problems

          March 29, 2022
          BBC: Are Competitive Parents Compensating for Their Insecurities?
          Future of Work

          BU Today: Training for the Hybrid Office

          November 12, 2021
          Expert Take: Return to Office 2021 – Goldman Sachs vs. Citigroup
          Expert Take

          Expert Take: Return to Office 2021 – Goldman Sachs vs. Citigroup

          August 12, 2021
          Harvard Business Review: Measuring the Impact of #MeToo on Gender Equity in Hollywood
          Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

          Harvard Business Review: Measuring the Impact of #MeToo on Gender Equity in Hollywood

          June 2, 2021
          National Bureau of Economic Research: Gender Differences in Job Search and the Earnings Gap: Evidence from Business Majors
          Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

          National Bureau of Economic Research: Gender Differences in Job Search and the Earnings Gap: Evidence from Business Majors

          May 25, 2021
          American Sociological Review: Translating Expertise Across Work Contexts
          Future of Work

          American Sociological Review: Translating Expertise Across Work Contexts

          April 21, 2021
          Negotiating Job Offers in Scary Times
          Future of Work

          Negotiating Job Offers in Scary Times

          March 13, 2021

          Upcoming Events

          12 April 2023

          Insights@Questrom Live: A Conversation with Jerold Zimmerman

          Questrom Executive Dining Rooms, 595 Commonwealth Avenue, Fourth Floor, Boston, MA, 02215

          View Detail
          Check back soon for upcoming events

          Missed an Event? Click Here to Watch Previous Insights Live Events

          Get Our Insights Newsletter

          Get Insights straight to your inbox by signing up now.

            Popular Insights

            • Inflation Cools, Prices Remain High

              Inflation Cools, Prices Remain High

              21 shares
              Share 8 Tweet 5
            • Ethical Implications of ChatGPT in the Educational Setting

              18 shares
              Share 7 Tweet 5
            • Silicon Valley Bank: Blame and Ethics of the Failure

              11 shares
              Share 4 Tweet 3
            • How Serious is “Reverse Discrimination”?

              9 shares
              Share 4 Tweet 2
            • Would you buy a car from this man?

              8 shares
              Share 3 Tweet 2

            Boston University Questrom School of Business
            595 Commonwealth Avenue
            Boston, MA 02215

            Follow Us

            Newsletter

            © 2023 Trustees of Boston University

            • About Us
            • Digital Business Institute
            • Human Resource Policy Institute
            • Susilo Institute for Ethics in the Global Economy
            Generic selectors
            Exact matches only
            Search in title
            Search in content
            Post Type Selectors
            • Business Challenges
              • Business Policy & Markets
              • Digital Business
              • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
              • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
              • Future of Work
              • Health, Biopharma, & Health-Tech
              • Risk
              • Social Impact
            • Business Functions
              • Corporate Strategy
              • Finance & Accounting
              • Innovation
              • Leadership & Management
              • Marketing
              • Operations
              • Technology
            • Publications
              • Journals
              • Harvard Business Review
              • Sloan Management Review
            • Insights Events
              • All Events
              • Insights Live
              • Questrom Institute Events
            • Videos & Podcast
              • Videos
              • Insights@Questrom Podcast
              • Podcast
            • Voices in the Media
            • Our Experts

            © 2023 Trustees of Boston University

            Welcome Back!

            Sign In with Linked In
            OR

            Login to your account below

            Forgotten Password?

            Retrieve your password

            Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

            Log In
            Suggest Topic
            X

            Add New Playlist

            -
            00:00
            00:00

            Queue

            Update Required Flash plugin
            -
            00:00
            00:00