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Discrimination / Harassment

Oilfield firms pay $1.2 million to settle race bias charges

02/07/2020
Nabors Corporate Services and its successor, C&J Well Services, both oil-industry firms based in Houston, have agreed to pay a class of nine black workers and one white worker $1.2 million to settle race discrimination and retaliation charges.

Check employee’s EEOC filings for missed deadlines

02/06/2020
Employers should always check EEOC complaints to make sure the deadline was met. If more than 300 days have passed, and the employee still sues, you can usually get the case tossed out.

OK to expect better behavior from managers

02/06/2020
While a subordinate might be excused for a minor rule breach, his supervisor could legitimately be disciplined for breaking the same rule. Just make sure your handbook outlines this greater expectation.

EEOC charge trends contain good news & bad

02/06/2020
Good news and some bad news for employers lurks within the EEOC charge statistics for Fiscal Year 2019.

Employee represents herself? Prepare for long legal slog

02/03/2020
Sometimes, litigious employees decide to act as their own attorneys. Don’t assume this will make it easy for you to win in court. If anything, when a past or current employee decides to represent herself, the case may end up taking longer and costing more.

Encourage staff who witness harassment to report it

02/03/2020
Since the #MeToo movement became influential in 2017, the EEOC has focused on encouraging so-called bystander reporting of workplace sexual harassment. But a recent case highlights what happens when a bystander takes reporting harassment seriously and finds himself fired.

Judges know work can be unpleasant—and they’re willing to cut you some slack

02/03/2020
Not every complaint of unfair or unpleasant treatment at work justifies a lawsuit. Rest assured that judges are often willing to defer to employer decisions unless there’s solid proof of biased behavior.

‘Bye, Felicia’ comment not discriminatory

02/03/2020
Unless disrespect crosses the line into racial, sexual, religious or other harassment based on a protected characteristic, misbehavior won’t support a lawsuit.

Employees have more time to file FEHA bias charges

02/03/2020
Employees who want to file discrimination, harassment or retaliation charges against their employers under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act now have more time to do so.

#MeToo 2.0: High-profile cases continue

01/30/2020
Employee activism in the light of perceived mishandling of internal harassment complaints has prompted another round of high-profile firings. Here are some recent examples.