About Amy Epstein Gluck

Amy Epstein Gluck is FisherBroyles' Employment Counsel and a partner in the Washington D.C. office. She has represented individuals and corporate clients in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and various federal district courts for more than twenty years. Ms. Epstein Gluck’s current practice areas include employment law—advising on and drafting employment agreements; handling employment negotiations, severance agreements, noncompete and nondisclosure agreements, “wrongful terminations” and other EEO matters; representation at the EEOC level; advising employers about discrimination laws and how to remain in compliance, and employment negotiations. Email Amy at Amy Gluck@fisherbroyles.com

Employers, Retaliating Against An Employee Who Discloses a Disability Is a Sure Way To Get Sued

By: Amy Epstein Gluck

Let’s start with this fun fact: retaliation is the most frequently filed discrimination claim.

Need proof? I’ll provide some statistics from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC):

Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 data shows that retaliation continued to be the most frequently filed charge filed;
retaliation charges comprised 51.6% of all charges filed last year with […]

How Do We Destigmatize and Accommodate Mental Health Impairments In The Workplace?

In honor of #mentalhealth awareness day, I remind you:

There is a lot of talk these days about diversity and inclusion. And about accommodating those with disabilities. Remember: providing accommodations applies to employees with mental impairments too.

Recently, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency that enforces the anti-discrimination laws, has reminded employers about […]

Employers, Can You Fire An Employee For Being Gay or Transgender?

By:  Amy Epstein Gluck

We will soon see—at least under federal law.

What am I talking about?

Tomorrow, October 8, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) will do what it does when states and federal courts and agencies are divided on an important issue: it will hear arguments on three cases in order to decide whether discrimination […]

How To Prevent and Correct Sexual Harassment By Customers

By: Amy Epstein Gluck

Employers, we know that you are trying your hardest to prevent sexual (and other unlawful) harassment in your workplace.

You’re training your supervisors, employees, and, in many states, even your independent contractors.

You have policies, procedures, and a clear reporting and investigation procedure.

You are training your workforce, and you have worked to keep your […]

Manager Training Time!

By: Amy Epstein Gluck

Guess what I’m doing this week?

Nope, not at the beach.

No, no, I’m not sipping a cappuccino at a charming Parisian bakery.

And, no, I’m not holed up in my basement office becoming more Vitamin D deficient by failing to step outside.

I’m TRAINING! What kind of training, you ask? I’m training managers as to […]

Game Night Has A New Player: Ms. Monopoly

By: Amy Epstein Gluck

“It’s not fair!”

“He cheated! Mom, he’s cheating!”

“I’m not playing anymore.”

The above might be a common refrain in households everywhere (well, pre-Fortnite, Minecraft, etc.) as siblings attempted to best each other by amassing money and property in Hasbro’s iconic game, Monopoly.

But Hasbro created and recently announced a new game—Ms. Monopoly, which, thanks to my mom, […]

How To Prevent Sexual Harassment In Your Restaurants, Bars, and Stores

By: Amy Epstein Gluck

As we continue to counsel clients large and small about how to prevent sexual harassment in this #MeToo era, I recently read about this project, “Not on the Menu,” the brain child of one restaurant owner and her staff during a problem-solving meeting after a customer put his hand up one employee’s […]

Employers, Can You Fire An Employee In Rehab for An Opioid Addiction?

By: Amy Epstein Gluck

As the late, great Amy Winehouse sang:
They tried to make me go to rehab
I said, “no, no, no”
Employers, if an employee seeks leave to go to rehab, your refrain is more likely to be, “yes, yes, yes.”

Why?

If an employee seeks help to treat an addiction, said employee is likely protected by the Americans […]

EEOC to Employers: Ignore Harassment Complaints Based on LGBTQ Status At Your Peril

By: Amy Epstein Gluck

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently entered into a consent decree with a Tex-Mex restaurant in Gainesville, Virginia (up to an hour from the DMV—without traffic) settling a lawsuit alleging that restaurant employees, including other servers and kitchen staff, subjected a gay male server to “unwelcome harassing and offensive behavior” that included […]

One Mama’s Memo: Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Retaliation Policies Must Be Enforced To Be Effective

By: Amy Epstein Gluck

Your anti-discrimination, -harassment, and -retaliation policies must be enforced to be effective. It’s likely that this is no news flash, but in practice, people tend to forget.

Case in point: yet another public memo to a household name company demonstrating that all that glitters may not be gold.

What am I talking about? Well, […]