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Discrimination / Harassment

Got a hugger on your hands? Prepare to wrap your arms around a lawsuit

09/28/2012

Having a good sexual harassment policy in place doesn’t mean much if your supervisors ignore it. Take, for example, a supervisor who we might call “touchy-feely.” He greets employees with a hug. He may kiss them on the cheek or pat them on the back. That may escalate into a sexually hostile work environment.

Is ‘he who hired also fired’ a good defense against discrimination charges?

09/26/2012
Q. If an employee claims he was discriminated against by the same supervisor who hired and fired him, does the employer have a defense to the discrimination claim?

Steel firm settles religious accommodation suit

09/26/2012
Pittsburgh-based steel-industry supplier Magnetics International will pay $30,000 to settle a religious discrimination suit filed by an employee in Indiana who claimed the company failed to accommodate his need to worship regularly.

EEOC dresses down Delia’s for Lehigh pregnancy bias

09/26/2012
Teen fashion retailer Delia’s will pay $75,000 to two former employees at the chain’s Lehigh Valley Mall store to settle pregnancy discrimination claims. Apparently, pregnant employees didn’t mesh with Delia’s brand image.

When employee alleges management bias, don’t blindly accept the boss’s denial

09/26/2012
Surprise! Some of your supervisors may be biased—something they would probably deny if confronted. If an employee complains that her boss is prejudiced, don’t just accept the manager’s protestations of innocence as the last word. Investigate instead.

Newly promoted boss not working out?

09/26/2012
Not every employee is cut out for management. Someone who was a true asset as a skilled worker may be a bust after being promoted. If that happens in your organization, exercise patience before terminating.

Philly security firm sued over Muslim head scarf

09/26/2012
The EEOC is suing ABM Security Services, which provides guards for the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, for religious discrimination after an employee claimed she was forced to choose between keeping her job and wearing her traditional Muslim head covering.

Document solid reasons for firing complainer

09/26/2012
Employees who complain can be annoying, especially if you believe their gripes don’t have merit. But firing such an employee can be dangerous because complaining about discrimination or other legal issues is protected activity that can’t be punished.

The price for tolerating name-calling: $70,000

09/25/2012
If you need any incentive to crack down on name-calling in the workplace, consider this new ruling: A jury slapped a $70,000 judgment on an employer for allowing a supervisor to repeatedly call his female subordinate a “bitch.”

Fry’s pays $2.3 million to settle harassment complaint

09/21/2012
Fry’s Electronics, which operates 17 stores in California, will pay $2.3 million to settle sexual harassment and retaliation complaints arising from incidents at a store in Washington. On a per-claimant basis, the case resulted in one of the largest settlements the EEOC has ever negotiated.