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Discrimination / Harassment

After employee files a complaint, follow up to check for retaliation

05/01/2007

Employees who come to HR with discrimination complaints may already have talked to a lawyer. They may be building a case and just waiting for someone to make a mistake. It’s your job to make sure that doesn’t happen …

No hire/Fire responsibility? No matter. Employee can sue you personally for job bias

05/01/2007

Watch out! If you are involved—even in a small way—in any activity that leads to a discrimination claim, you may be personally liable …

Court: Sued employer can ask about some immigration matters

05/01/2007

When the EEOC sued First Wireless Group over allegations that it fired Hispanic employees who questioned pay disparities, the company got aggressive …

Want a script that will land you in court every time?

05/01/2007

Try this one: A New York City school psychologist who suffered from asthma and migraines approached an incoming principal about continuing his accommodations, which included an air-conditioned office. The principal allegedly replied, “If you require an accommodation, you should get yourself a job that doesn’t require an accommodation” …

Too old and white for HRD? Don’t discuss ‘Dream’ staff

05/01/2007

The New York Human Rights Division is facing age and race-discrimination lawsuits by two former employees who say they were tossed out for being old and white …

Settling a case? Make sure the agreement includes a ban on re-employment

05/01/2007

Sometimes, the best way to end a discrimination claim is to settle the case before it goes to court. But if you do settle, make sure you don’t create a bigger problem down the line. That can happen if the employee applies later for an open position and is rejected …

Hey, customers! Guess what? We are sexual harassers!

05/01/2007

Do you have to tell your customers if you’re slapped with a sexual harassment verdict? You soon might have to. In a startling new court ruling, a judge in Illinois required a company to distribute a notice to its customers informing them of the $1 million sexual harassment verdict levied against it …

It pays to hear both sides of the story before a firing

05/01/2007

If your organization is like many, someone in HR ultimately decides whether to terminate an employee for poor performance based on supervisor recommendations and supporting documents, such as performance reviews. That can spell trouble if there’s more going on than meets the eye ...

Civility helps prevent a hostile environment, but you don’t need to sweat the small stuff

05/01/2007

You’ve told your first-line supervisors over and over again that crude language, insults and worse have no place in the workplace. But now an employee has filed a complaint, alleging her supervisor’s “insults” have created a hostile work environment …

Tell managers: Keep unsolicited dietary advice to yourself

05/01/2007

Michigan has one of the toughest weight discrimination laws in the country—a law that can trip up supervisors who innocently offer diet tips. It’s crucial to train management staff to recognize that discussion concerning an employee’s weight is off-limits …