Mary Ruth Houston, a partner out of the Orlando office of Shutts & Bowen LLP and leader of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, was recently quoted in an article addressing updated guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), in an article by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
The article reviews updates issued by the EEOC on April 23, 2020, guidance which focused on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and coronavirus. Specifically, it explains that employers may screen employees for COVID-19, provided that any mandatory medical test is job-related and consistent with business necessity. Featuring input from Labor and Employment attorneys across the country, the article also discusses employer considerations for testing, diagnostic and serology testing, and what constitutes undue hardship during a pandemic.
To read the full article, click here.
According to the organization, SHRM works with over 300,000 HR and business executive members in 165 countries to empower and elevate the HR profession, and is the “foremost expert, convener and thought leader on issues impacting today’s evolving workplaces.”
About Mary Ruth Houston
Mary Ruth Houston is Co-Managing Partner of the Orlando office and Chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment Law Practice Group. She is certified as a mediator in Florida courts and the Middle District of Florida. She was selected as Orlando’s 2020 “Lawyer of the Year” in Litigation – Labor and Employment, by Best Lawyers in America®. Mary Ruth focuses on business and employment-related issues using a problem-solving approach that helps clients concentrate on their core business. With over 30 years of experience handling complex disputes, her understanding of business issues outside the courtroom enables her to advise companies on how to avoid litigation, minimize its effects or, when litigation is required, handle it efficiently and effectively. Mary Ruth’s practice encompasses a broad range of labor and employment issues, including employee discharge and discrimination cases, including age, sex, race, national origin, religion and disability claims, as well as cases involving restrictive covenants and wage-hour matters (individual and collective). She also has extensive experience in negotiating and drafting complex employment and severance agreements. Her litigation practice also encompasses a wide variety of commercial, contract, intellectual property, and business tort disputes.