[Podcast]
What today’s HR and compliance leaders need to know as we approach the new year.
The rules — and expectations — around workplace behavior are shifting fast. In this podcast, employment-law expert Jonathan Gonzalez joins Ethiciti to break down what’s actually changing in harassment and discrimination risk, and what organizations should prepare for as we head into 2026.
You’ll hear a practical, no-spin discussion on:
- Protected classes in 2025: How federal protections are evolving, which state expansions matter most, and why cases tied to age, disability, and religion — particularly antisemitism — are growing more complex.
- Non-traditional discrimination trends: The issues that rarely surfaced five years ago but show up in investigations today, including claims related to identity, political tension, and “reverse discrimination.”
- Harassment in a mostly online workplace: Where misconduct is happening now, how digital communication blurs the definition of “workplace,” and why AI-generated images and memes are creating new forms of risk.
- Why “respect” is becoming a risk-management strategy: Respect isn’t a legal term, but it may be the strongest predictor of fewer incidents. Jonathan explains how organizations can train for it in a way that feels real — not like another compliance checkbox.
- One piece of advice for 2026 planning: Jonathan closes with a straightforward recommendation: keep training current, confront the tough topics directly, and avoid the trap of annual “set it and forget it” programs.
If you want a clear, timely view of where harassment and discrimination risk is heading — legally and culturally — this is a conversation worth hearing.
Listen now.
Speakers
Jonathan Gonzalez
Senior Legal Counsel
Employment Law
Vanessa Applegate
Marketing Director
Ethiciti
About Jonathan Gonzalez
Jon has dedicated his entire nineteen-year career to the practiced of labor and employment law exclusively on behalf of management. From the very beginning of his career, he developed a niche in harassment training, as he began working in California shortly after AB1825 made harassment training in that jurisdiction a requirement. After representing the some of the largest organizations in the state and providing live training to their leadership on a routine basis, Jon took his practice national and became a leading provider of harassment training for national corporations (including several Fortune 500 companies).
Since 2020, Jon has had the opportunity to continue delivering live training sessions and workshops on all issues concerning employment law while serving as a hands-on employment law consultant for companies of all sizes. Jon advises organizations on matters concerning the employment relationship and helps companies strategize on both compliance with existing and emerging laws and improving corporate culture through both education, policy-drafting and counsel on all issues related to labor and employment law.
Jon is an expert in the employment laws across the 50 states and US territories and having worked with national and international organizations for nineteen years keeps his finger on the pulse of legal changes and trends across the country (and globe). He uses his vast experience in advising employment law clients and litigating cases to craft creative scenarios and examples that resonate with the user in both advice work and training sessions. Jon has also regularly published articles for several organizations and regularly conducts speaking engagements in his areas of expertise. Jon is actively licensed to practice law in Wisconsin, California and Illinois.
Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn.
Listen to the Podcast