The State of Rhode Island – the smallest state in the nation – is not often thought of as a trendsetter for legal issues. But in July 2025, the Ocean State set off the latest trend in employment protections by becoming the first state to enact employment-related legislation meant to support women who experience menopause.
Connecticut Public Act 26-1 (Sections 50-57) requires specified employers who employ, directly or indirectly through a third party, workers at a warehouse distribution center to provide employees with written notice of work production quotas by August 1, 2026. After that date, covered employers will be required to provide these written notices to new employees upon hire. While this new law affects only a specific set of Connecticut employers, the obligations for those employers are significant. This law makes Connecticut the sixth state to impose special requirements on employers to protect warehouse workers.[1]
[1] The others are California, New York, Minnesota, Washington and Oregon. Additionally, on July 13, 2026, Rhode Island enacted such a law, taking effect January 1, 2027.
As another busy year for our Employment, Labor & Workforce Management clients came to a close, we asked our attorneys what issues were top of mind for our nationwide clients in 2025.
The results of this informal survey provide the opportunity not only to reflect on the challenges confronted by the global organizations we are privileged to represent, but also to prepare for what the legal landscape might hold in 2026.
I recently read Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In, which includes a call to action for men and women to end gender bias in the workplace. Yet, Lean In is not only a discussion about gender bias and stereotypes, women being held back or holding back themselves but, it’s a call to action as a society to work together toward equality. A common question that has followed for many who have read the book is where do we begin; how can we move forward as a society to address the issues that face all of us in the workplace, men and women of all races, cultures, ages, and religious ...
Recent Updates
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- How Employers Can Manage Shorter EEOC Charge Response Deadlines
- Menopause as a Protected Class: Growing Trend or a Hot Flash?
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