An adverse employment action is a change in employment terms significant enough to support a discrimination claim.

After-acquired evidence limits remedies where an employer discovers misconduct after termination that would have justified discharge.

The ADEA prohibits employment discrimination against workers forty and older.

The ADA prohibits disability discrimination and requires reasonable accommodation of qualified individuals.

An employment arbitration agreement requires workplace disputes to be resolved by arbitration rather than litigation.

At-will employment permits either party to end the relationship at any time for any lawful reason or no reason.

Cat's paw liability holds an employer responsible where a biased subordinate influenced an unbiased decisionmaker.

Causal connection links protected activity to the adverse action, requiring but-for causation in Title VII retaliation claims.

A class waiver in an employment arbitration agreement requires claims to proceed individually.

An FLSA collective action permits similarly situated employees to join a wage claim by affirmatively opting in.

Comparator evidence compares an employee's treatment to that of similarly situated employees outside the protected class.

Constructive discharge treats a resignation as a termination where conditions were intolerable enough to compel it.

Disparate impact challenges a facially neutral policy that disproportionately affects a protected group.

Disparate treatment is intentional discrimination in which an employer treats an individual less favorably because of a protected characteristic.

An EEOC charge is the administrative complaint that must be filed before most federal discrimination claims may proceed.

An employee handbook communicates policies and, absent disclaimers, may create enforceable contractual obligations.

An employment investigation examines complaints of misconduct to determine facts and support the employer's response.

Essential job functions are the fundamental duties of a position that an accommodation cannot eliminate.

The exempt and non-exempt distinction determines whether an employee is entitled to overtime under wage and hour law.

Exhaustion requires completing agency procedures before filing suit on statutory employment claims.

A failure to accommodate claim alleges an employer did not provide reasonable adjustments enabling a disabled employee to work.

The Fair Labor Standards Act establishes minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping requirements for covered employees.

The FMLA entitles eligible employees to unpaid job-protected leave for defined family and medical reasons.

The Faragher-Ellerth defense shields an employer from supervisor harassment liability where it exercised reasonable care and the employee unreasonably...

Garden leave keeps a departing employee on payroll during a notice period while removing them from work.

The honest belief rule protects an employer that acted on a genuinely held belief even if the belief was mistaken.

A hostile work environment claim alleges harassment severe or pervasive enough to alter employment conditions.

The interactive process is the required dialogue between employer and employee about possible reasonable accommodations.

An FMLA interference claim alleges the employer denied, discouraged, or failed to restore leave rights.

The McDonnell Douglas framework structures proof in discrimination cases through burden shifting between plaintiff and employer.

A meal and rest break claim alleges an employer failed to provide required unpaid meal periods or paid rest breaks.

A misclassification claim alleges workers were wrongly treated as exempt or as independent contractors.

A mixed-motive claim alleges a protected characteristic was a motivating factor even if other reasons also contributed.

A non-compete agreement restricts a former employee from competing within a defined scope, duration, and geography.

A non-solicitation agreement restricts a departing employee from soliciting customers or employees.

Off-the-clock work is compensable time an employee worked without recording, generating unpaid overtime liability.

Overtime miscalculation arises where the regular rate used to compute overtime omits required compensation components.

A performance improvement plan documents deficiencies and sets measurable expectations over a defined period.

A personnel file contains the employment records that document performance, discipline, and decisions.

Pretext is a showing that the employer's stated reason is false and conceals a discriminatory motive.

A prima facie case is the plaintiff's initial showing that raises an inference of discrimination.

Progressive discipline escalates consequences through documented steps before termination.

Protected activity is conduct that anti-retaliation provisions shield, principally opposing discrimination or participating in proceedings.

A protected class is a characteristic that anti-discrimination law prohibits employers from acting upon.

The public policy exception permits a wrongful discharge claim where termination violated a clear mandate of public policy.

Quid pro quo harassment conditions employment benefits on submission to unwelcome sexual conduct.

A retaliation claim alleges adverse action against an employee for engaging in legally protected activity.

A right to sue letter authorizes a charging party to file suit after the agency concludes its process.

The same actor inference suggests discrimination is unlikely where the same person hired and fired the employee.

A severance agreement provides consideration in exchange for a release of employment claims.

The severe or pervasive standard requires harassment sufficient to alter employment conditions before it becomes actionable.

A tangible employment action is a significant change in status that eliminates the employer's harassment defense.

Temporal proximity is the closeness in time between protected activity and adverse action, used as causation evidence.

Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.

Undue hardship is the ADA defense that an accommodation would impose significant difficulty or expense.

The WARN Act requires advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings by covered employers.

A whistleblower claim alleges retaliation for reporting legal violations to authorities or within the organization.

Wrongful termination is discharge in violation of statute, contract, or public policy, overcoming at-will employment.