Election Day is November 6, and many states have laws providing employees with leave to vote. Is your state among them? Click our link to find out! In other news, a new study found prescription opioid use correlate with workers’ compensation claims over the past eight years. Another study finds that there has been no uptick in false accusations of harassment in the workplace following the rise of the #MeToo movement. Discover why in today’s Weekend Roundup:
How to Handle Employee Requests for Time Off to Vote
Many employees will be eligible to cast their ballot on Nov. 6, but will they have time to vote? Some states require employers to give workers time off to vote and, even in states that don’t, some businesses are finding other ways to get employees to the polls.
With Election Day around the corner, employers should be mindful that, while no federal law provides employees leave to vote, many states have enacted laws in this area, said Marilyn Clark, an attorney with Dorsey & Whitney in Minneapolis. Depending on the state, employers may have to give workers notice about their voting rights and provide paid or unpaid time off to vote.
Opioid Use Often Persists in Workers’ Compensation Claimants
Many patients in a workers’ compensation cohort have persistent opioid use, according to a study published online Oct. 26 in JAMA Network Open.
Nathan N. O’Hara, M.H.A., from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study using workers’ compensation claims data from Jan. 1, 2008, to Dec. 31, 2016, from the Chesapeake Employers’ Insurance Co. Data were included for 9,596 workers’ compensation claimants injured during the study years who filled at least one opioid prescription.
Men Are Worried, but EEOC Panel Finds Little Evidence to Support #MeToo Backlash Fears
The recent backlash against the #MeToo movement suggests men should fear false accusations or reactive company investigations because of the pressure from social media or news organizations, yet little evidence exists to prove a push against sexual harassment in the workforce hurts men, experts and federal regulators said Wednesday.
Any unintended consequences of the movement targeting harassment may rather be at the expense of women in the workplace, who may be left out of advancement opportunities, such as socializing with bosses or mentorships, according to the panel at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s public meeting.
“With social causes there is always the unintended consequence of a backlash,” Morgan, Lewis & Bockius partner David Bowman told the commission. “That problem is in the minority not the majority.”