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Discrimination / Harassment

Track rationale for all salary increases

09/14/2009

Employees who discover their colleagues are making more money for doing the same work often conclude that there can be only one reason—discrimination. Next stop: the office of an attorney, who will try to confirm the pay bias by comparing the disgruntled employee’s protected class status to those earning more.

Rejecting applicants? Note why

09/14/2009

You no doubt get many applications for open positions—especially with unemployment running as high as it is. Some of those applicants will have past work-related problems—and a few might have long, checkered histories. When you reject such applicants, be ready to show why you hired someone with a better record instead.

Prevent harassment by customers, too

09/10/2009

Most employers have policies in place to prevent or stop sexual harassment by supervisors and co-workers. Today, that isn’t enough. The reality is that you must also protect employees from customer or client harassment. Unless your sexual harassment policy addresses such harassment, you may find yourself facing a jury trial.

If possible, have the manager who hired the employee also do the firing

09/10/2009

One good way to eliminate discrimination lawsuits is to have the same manager who hired an employee also handle the termination if you need to let the employee go.

When fists fly, make sure you get facts straight

09/10/2009

When employers discipline employees following an argument or other confrontation, getting the facts straight is crucial. Recent case: Kevin Phillips, who is black, was fired after he got into a fight with a white supervisor. Another supervisor witnessed the incident. However, Phillips was the only one involved who was punished …

Did White Way play dirty when it fired pregnant worker?

09/10/2009

According to the EEOC, White Way Cleaners discriminated against a female worker when it first moved her from the cleaning line to the front counter during her first pregnancy and then again when it terminated her after learning she was pregnant again.

U of M study: Female managers more likely to be harassed

09/10/2009

A University of Minnesota study of sexual harassment shows that female supervisors are more likely to be harassed than women with no supervisory duties. More than half of the female supervisors who responded to the survey reported having been sexually harassed on the job. But only 30% of women with no supervisory duties reported harassment.

Handle ‘uncooperative’ complainer with care

09/08/2009

Employees who complain they’re being discriminated against sometimes seem less than cooperative once you start investigating their claims. If that happens, don’t be too quick to discipline that employee for hindering your fact-finding effort.

Messed up? ‘Fess up! Honest mistakes aren’t evidence of bias

09/08/2009

Sometimes, it’s best to just come clean. Even the best HR pros make mistakes when promoting or hiring employees. When that happens, and another employee sues, alleging that the hiring or promotion process was tainted by discrimination, it may be a good idea to admit that mistake to the court or the EEOC.

Exception to the rule: You can ask internal and external applicants different questions

09/08/2009

One of the cardinal rules of hiring is that you should ask all applicants the same questions. Even good rules can sometimes be broken—when it makes good sense. For example, if you have an open position and are interviewing both internal and external applicants, it’s perfectly logical to ask internal applicants different questions, since they’re already familiar with your operations.