The workplace just got better for everyone. Here's why

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that protections under federal civil rights law should be extended to include sexual orientation and gender identification.The issue: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of race, color, sex, religion and national origin. But lower courts have been split on whether the law protects gay, lesbian and transgender workers.Some states have laws protecting LGBTQ workers from discrimination and some companies have also included gender identity in their nondiscrimination policies. But other places didn’t offer such protections – The workplace just got better for everyone. Here’s why

The journey to the Supreme Court: The ruling was in response to three cases regarding gay and transgender employees, including Aimee Stephens, who was fired from her job as a funeral director in 2013 after telling her boss she was a transgender woman and planned to start coming to work as her true self.Stephens filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which sued the funeral home for sex discrimination.But she never got to celebrate her victory. Stephens died in May, just weeks before the Supreme Court ruled in her favor.The decision: The vote was 6-3, with the court’s opinion written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s four liberal justices.”An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex. Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids,” Gorsuch wrote.

What it means: The previous patchwork of legal protections left some workers in limbo and sometimes fearful of being themselves at work. But now, the ruling will extend protections to millions of workers nationwide.Companies add paid holidays for racial equality Juneteenth, the oldest known commemoration of the end of slavery in the US, is becoming a paid holiday for more employees.Last week, Nike announced that June 19 will be an annual company holiday.CEO John Donahoe, who’s been on the job since January, said the company has to fix the disconnect black employees feel between the external brand and their own experiences in the office.”You have told me that we have not consistently supported, recognized and celebrated our own black teammates in a manner they deserve.

This needs to change,” he said in a letter to employees.Nike isn’t alone. Twitter, Square and Vox Media have said they plan to offer the day off as well.Some companies have also made Election Day a paid holiday, which can be another way to support racial equity. Election Day isn’t a paid federal holiday, and state and local laws vary on what workers are entitled to when it comes to casting their ballots.An initiative called “Time to Vote” lists more than 450 companies committed to increasing voter participation by making Election Day a paid day off, a day with no meetings, or providing resources for mail-in ballots and early voting.Welcome to the weirdest recession everWe are officially in a recession.But the economy also added 2.5 million jobs last month.Huh?All of this had CNN Business’ Anneken Tappe asking: Can a recession and record jobs growth coexist?Apparently, economists think they can.

The good news is that some experts expect this to be a quick recession. Still, the wounds are deep and are going to take some time to heal.Adding more than 2 million jobs last month was a big step in the right direction, but keep in mind that more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.Here’s a good overview of what this all means for the recovery and the job market going forward. What it takes to sell a home right now The pandemic has many of us changing the way we do our jobs.And now that the housing market is starting to come back to life, real estate agents are learning their new normal.Open house appointments. Solo walk-throughs. Waivers. Masks and gloves. This is the new reality for real estate agents, reports CNN Business’ Anna Bahney.

While local regulations vary on what real estate agents can do, many are getting creative when it comes to selling houses by relying on video vignettes and 3D tours.And old rules, like listing a home on a Thursday or never putting a house on the market over a long holiday weekend, are being thrown out the window.If you’re thinking about buying a home, click here to read what you can expect.

Coffee breakBe honest: Do you currently have a closet full of toilet paper? Well, that could be a telling sign of who you are.A new study shows that people who panic buy and hoard toilet paper score high in a personality assessment for traits of “conscientiousness,” reports CNN’s Ryan Prior.The term “conscientiousness” covers other traits such as organization, diligence, perfectionism and prudence.And your panic buying could have rubbed off on others: We take our cues from those around us. If we see someone loading their cart up with toilet paper, that can cause a fear contagion effect.Click here to read more about the study.