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Discrimination / Harassment

Apply dress code evenly among sexes, within reason

08/01/2005

Q. Our company manufactures plastic tubing. Our general manager is requesting that men not wear sleeveless or tank-top shirts, due to sweat and appearance. He said women can wear them as long as their shirts are seamed. Is this legal? —C.M., Texas

2005 SHRM conference

08/01/2005
?’Winging it’ during interviews poses double danger
Using unstructured, “tell me about yourself” questions during
job interviews not only opens you to discrimination claims, it often results in poor …

Even ‘nontargets’ can sue for hostile environment

07/01/2005
Hopefully, you already take any discrimination or harassment complaints from minority employees seriously. But what if a white male blows the whistle about race discrimination he sees affecting his minority co-workers? …

EEOC following up on promise to crack down on Hispanic bias

07/01/2005
The EEOC announced in 2003 that it would work to counteract workplace discrimination against Hispanic employees, and the agency is making good on its promise.
EEOC chief Cari Dominquez, who …

Go overboard to clarify details in age-discrimination waivers

07/01/2005
When terminating employees, it’s smart to ask them to sign agreements that waive their rights to sue your organization for discrimination or wrongful discharge. Typically, employers wrap such waivers into severance …

Can favoritism amount to a ‘hostile’ work environment?

07/01/2005
As if there weren’t enough complications when co-workers are paramours, here’s another: Those who aren’t part
of the love affair feel slighted when
the bedded ones are promoted, and …

Train managers how to spot bias and take complaints

07/01/2005
Issue: Employers can be liable for sexual harassment if they “knew or should have known” about it but failed to act.
Risk: Courts increasingly say you “know” of harassment once …

Don’t base hiring decisions on applicants’ childbirth plans

07/01/2005
Issue: Who qualifies for protection under the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA)?
Risk: Many supervisors mistakenly believe that women must be pregnant to be covered under PDA. Not true.
…

Can you (and should you) refuse to hire smokers? Know the law

07/01/2005
Some of your employees may be a month into their New Year’s resolution to quit smoking. But what if you, as an organization, wanted to kick the habit in a different way—by refusing to hire employees that smoke?

Banning male employees’ long hair is OK

07/01/2005

Q. Can we require male employees’ hair be a certain length, or is that discrimination? Also, can we say male employees can’t have beards? —C.H., Illinois