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Discrimination / Harassment

12,000 EDS employees offered early retirement option

11/01/2007

Electronic Data Systems Corp. (EDS), based in Plano, announced that it would offer early retirement to 12,000 eligible U.S. employees. The technology systems management and services company, which has approximately 136,000 employees in 64 countries, is making the offer in order to reduce costs …

Who is the harasser? Supervisor or co-Worker status matters

11/01/2007

Whether an employer is liable for workplace harassment under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act or state law oftentimes turns on the status of the harasser. If the employee’s supervisor is the harasser, liability for adverse action harassment is automatic. If, however, the harasser is a fellow employee or a supervisor other than the employee’s, the employee must show that the employer knew or should have known about the harassing behavior …

Will the EEOC audit your Internet and campus hiring practices?

10/09/2007

Unless you take great care to document how you use Internet and university job sites, you may find yourself spending quality time with an EEOC auditor.

Supreme Court to hear important employment law case

10/02/2007

In a term that will be dominated by cases concerning Guantanamo detainees and the power of the Executive branch, the U.S. Supreme Court will also hear an important case involving employment discrimination.

NC employees can win bigger windfall in harassment suits

10/01/2007

In North Carolina, it’s not just sexual harassment lawsuits brought under federal law that you have to worry about. Your organization could face state tort law claims, such as “intentional infliction of emotional distress” or “negligent supervision” if an employee’s behavior is extreme enough and management doesn’t take steps to stop it …

How to provide religious accommodations in NC workplaces

10/01/2007

North Carolina mirrors America’s growing diversity in many ways. Today, mosques occupy old churches, co-workers wear burqas and yarmulkes, and some employees request “prayer breaks.” Religious diversity is a reason for celebration, but it also presents challenges in the workplace …

Fort Wayne dealership must pay $1.1 million for retaliation

10/01/2007

Mid-State Motors of Fort Wayne will pay $1.1 million to a former sales manager for retaliating against him after he filed an EEOC complaint. The sales manager, Trent Chapin, was replaced by a Pakistani Muslim employee shortly after a new Pakistani general manager took over the dealership …

HR tracking system helps ensure equal treatment

10/01/2007

When it comes to discrimination, your best defense is treating everyone absolutely equally. And that’s tough to do without a central HR tracking system. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Make sure you note any problems (and praise) in each employee’s official file. Then, do regular audits—pulling out data on age, sex, national origin and race—to tabulate the types of problems and any discipline levied …

Be prepared to back up group firing decision

10/01/2007

Does your organization make important hiring and firing decisions by committee? That’s one way to counter possible bias by one individual. But be prepared to document how the group made the decision …

Only business need can justify English-Only rules

10/01/2007

Employers that want to limit the use of languages other than English in the workplace take note: Your language restrictions must be reasonable and based on genuine business needs. A simple company preference for English isn’t good enough …