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Discrimination / Harassment

Renhill Staffing pays for discrimination that ‘Didn’t happen’

05/02/2008
Perrysburg-based Renhill Staffing Services has agreed to pay more than $580,000 to settle an EEOC lawsuit alleging age and race discrimination. The lawsuit accused the recruitment and temporary services firm of failing to refer blacks and people over age 40 for job openings …

Get ahead of the curve by offering anti-Gay bias training

05/02/2008
Ohio may soon join other states in outlawing sexual orientation discrimination by private employers. It may be time for employers to rethink their employment discrimination policies and include sexual orientation. One good first step is to include anti-gay discrimination training in your regular anti-discrimination program …

Good news: Court nixes class action for unrelated claims

05/01/2008
Good news on the class action front. A federal court has refused to allow a lawsuit to go forward as a class action when it was clear that none of the employees named in the complaint had anything in common except that they worked for the same company …

Managing the consequences of an affair badly ended

05/01/2008
Ordinarily, a consensual affair carried on outside the workplace, even between a supervisor and a subordinate, won’t mean liability for the employer if the supervisor never threatened or punished the subordinate at work. But once the affair is over, and management finds out about the relationship, it’s critical to make sure the subordinate isn’t unfairly punished …

When discrimination charges are possible, investigate thoroughly before firing

05/01/2008
When you fire an employee, you want the decision to stick. You certainly don’t want to use a flimsy reason for discharge and then find out later that other employees regularly ignore your rule. If the former employee is a member of a protected class, that’s a sure recipe for a discrimination lawsuit …

Complaining about harassment of non-Employee isn’t protected activity

05/01/2008
Ordinarily, employers can’t punish employees who stand up for co-workers who are being discriminated against. But what if the employee speaks out against the employer’s treatment of someone who is not an employee? As the following case shows, punishing the employee probably doesn’t violate Title VII …

Anti-Nepotism trumps familial status discrimination

05/01/2008
Good news for employers with strong anti-nepotism policies: The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected a claim based on alleged familial status discrimination. The court ruled that Title VII does not protect family members from an employer’s decision not to hire a relative when company rules bar nepotism …

Amendment would ban policies both biased and preferential

05/01/2008
A petition supporting a state constitutional ban on preferential policies garnered more than 120,000 signatures before being passed on to the Colorado secretary of state in March … 

Carrots and sticks: 5 ways HIPAA limits wellness programs

05/01/2008
Since it is clear that better health translates into lower health care costs, employers increasingly embrace the concept of financial incentives to persuade employees to make healthier lifestyle choices. Thus the rise of wellness programs—a great idea, but one that can run afoul of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) …

When you’ve been accused: Handling an EEOC charge

05/01/2008
The events that lead to an EEOC charge are sometimes beyond a company’s control. Whatever your role in the events leading up to the complaint, how your company fares depends largely on how you respond. Don’t blow it—mistakes can be costly. Here are the steps you should follow if and when you receive an EEOC charge …