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Discrimination / Harassment

Accommodate religious requests; don’t argue ‘sincerity’ of beliefs

10/01/2004
Federal anti-discrimination law says you must offer reasonable accommodations to employees’ “sincerely held religious beliefs or practices,” as long as the accommodation wouldn’t place an undue hardship on your organization. But …

Keep an open mind in investigations; juries will punish ‘kangaroo courts’

10/01/2004
Keep an open mind in investigations;
juries will punish ‘kangaroo courts’
When investigating a sexual harassment complaint, don’t rush to judgment, and don’t allow supervisors to sidestep any steps …

Severance pacts can’t ask employees to waive their rights to EEOC claim

10/01/2004
Make sure your severance agreements don’t require employees to waive their rights to file a discrimination charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Why? As opposed to a …

Supreme Court starts new term; age-bias case tops slim HR agenda

10/01/2004
The U.S. Supreme Court opens its new session Oct. 4, but so far, employment issues are taking a back seat to cases ranging from juvenile executions to wine trading. Expect the …

Beware growing risk of minorities’ sex harassment claims

10/01/2004
Heads up: African-American, Asian and Hispanic women are more likely to file sexual harassment charges than in the past, according to a National Partnership for Women & Families study of data …

What do you do when the big boss is a harasser?

10/01/2004
Issue: How to handle harassing behavior by your organization’s top dogs. Risk: Going easy on them will come back to haunt you; courts hold higher-ups to a higher standard than …

Review insurance policies for legally dangerous exclusions

10/01/2004
Issue: A poorly worded insurance policy can spark age discrimination lawsuits. Risk: If your policy excludes members of a protected class (age, race, gender, etc.)…

Juries punish rushed investigations; keep an open mind

10/01/2004
Issue: Following correct protocol when investigating harassment complaints. Risk: Courts will slap organizations with big punitive damage awards …

Don’t be afraid to face down a harassing CEO

09/01/2004
It’s easy to tell a mail clerk to knock off his harassing comments, but try telling the same thing to your CEO or other top dog. The truth is, though, that …

Study insurance policies for legally hazardous exclusions

09/01/2004
Probe the fine print on terms and conditions of employee benefits plans and other insurance policies covering employees. And if you’re shopping around for new coverage, pay attention to provisions or …