Worksights: Insights into the Workplace

In this episode, we discuss the recently passed Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021. This law bars employers from enforcing pre-dispute arbitration for claims of sexual assault or sexual harassment. Cathryn Harris-Marchesi is The Noble Law’s partner in New York City, a federal constitutional attorney with a focus in employment law, and a member of the Women’s Intercultural Network. She joins Laura to discuss the outcomes of this new law.

Mediation can be a difficult process for both plaintiff and defendant. This episode, Laura Noble speaks with Steve Dunn, an attorney and certified mediator, who explains how to refresh your approach to mediation and achieve the best possible outcome.

Laura Noble speaks with Dr. Jami Taylor, professor of political science and public administration at the University of Toledo, regarding the current state of anti-discrimination legal protections for transgender employees in the United States. They discuss the Bostock v. Clayton County Supreme Court ruling, the limitations of Title VII and federal law, and what states and localities have done, or have failed to do, in order to provide additional protections.

Laura Noble and executive coach, Karen Tax, explore what leadership looks like in an employment law firm. When she passed the North Carolina Bar exam in 2008, Laura Noble had no intention of starting her own employment law firm. After leaving the workforce for seven years to be a full-time mother, she faced a job market unwilling to employ her. Without viable job prospects, Laura made the decision to establish her own firm in a practice that intersected her passion for civil rights and her desire to make a positive impact on people who were facing mistreatment in their own workplace. However, as the firm continued to grow, it became apparent that leadership was just as much a part of Laura’s job as legal services. Karen Tax is an executive coach and business culture consultant, and she is author of the Passion, Authenticity & Leadership @ WORKbook.

In a society that disproportionately condemns signs of aging in women, it can be difficult to acknowledge the onset of menopause to oneself, let alone supervisors or coworkers. Moreover, when a woman’s merits as an employee are directly linked to her experience and seniority, this pressure to maintain her youth seemingly contradicts the requirements she needs to continue advancing in her career. In this month’s episode of Worksights, Laura Noble and guest, Dr. Tracy McCubbin, discuss the symptoms of, and stigmas against, women who are undergoing menopause in the workplace. Dr. Tracy McCubbin aids patients across the United States for a variety of health concerns, including hormone balancing, digestive disorders, fertility, autoimmune conditions, and healthy aging, at her private practice, Radiance Functional Medicine, located in Denver, Colorado.

In our pilot episode, Laura meets with Emily Martin, Vice President for Education and Workplace Justice at the National Women’s Law Center, to discuss the investigation and subsequent resignation of former New York Governor Cuomo. They review the investigation process, the impact this event has made on the #MeToo movement, and how the National Women’s Law Center and TIME’s UP Legal Defense Fund continues to connect victims of sexual discrimination and harassment with the legal assistance they need.