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Discrimination / Harassment

How to prevent religious discrimination at work

04/01/2004
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Employee ‘odor policy’ must pass the smell test

04/01/2004
Issue: Can you tell an employee to take a bath? Risk: You risk a discrimination claim because, unlike other grooming-policy issues, odor lies in the eye (or nose) of the …

Workers’ religious beliefs don’t trump your need for a bias-free workplace

03/01/2004
Employees are clearly entitled to their own religious beliefs. But your organization doesn’t need to bend the rules to allow those beliefs to interfere with the rights of other employees.
…

How to prevent growing risk of ‘negligent supervision’ suits

03/01/2004
Thorough background checks can help you defeat any negligent hiring claim.
But what if applicants’ background checks come up clean, yet they begin displaying troublesome behavior at your workplace. In …

Supreme Court protects age-related benefits

03/01/2004
Issue: A key new ruling says your organization can offer benefit packages designed specifically for older employees. Benefit: More flexibility to set employee perks; eliminates the fear of “reverse” age …

Age-bias: Six-years-or-less difference destroys claim

03/01/2004
A 54-year-old supervisor’s management duties were handed to a 48-year-old employee. The supervisor sued under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. A federal appeals court tossed out the case. Reason: The …

Retaliation: Don’t retaliate against witnesses

03/01/2004
After a workplace investigation, check with all parties involved (including witnesses) to make sure they haven’t been retaliated against. The case: During an investigation into misconduct, employee Donny Abbott told supervisors …

Domestic-partner benefits: Don’t fear cost, controversy

03/01/2004
Issue: More employers are offering domestic-partner benefits to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples. Benefit/risk: Such benefits can provide a good recruiting tool, but thorny legal and tax issues must be …

When deciding layoffs, rely on several objective factors

02/01/2004
When making the tough call about who receives a layoff notice (and defending that decision in court), rely on more than one evaluation tool.
Why? Overly rosy performance evaluations are …

Age difference of six years or less destroys employee’s age-bias claim.

02/01/2004
A 54-year-old supervisor’s management duties were handed to a 48-year-old employee. The supervisor sued under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. A federal appeals court tossed out the case. Court’s reason: …