• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Discrimination / Harassment

EEOC nets largest-ever age-discrimination settlement

03/01/2003
California’s public pension fund (CalPERS) will pay $250 million to settle an age discrimination case with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), …

Clean up graffiti or risk harassment lawsuit

02/01/2003
For five years, Allen Beach was a marked man at Yellow Freight. Offensive graffiti with his name was scrawled on the walls of dozens of trucks. Some of the milder …

Bankrupt worker protected from bias, but only if he formally filed

02/01/2003
The U.S. Bankruptcy Code says it’s illegal for private companies to fire employees, or refuse to hire applicants, solely because they’ve filed for bankruptcy. But what …

Don’t punish employees for participating in legal probes

02/01/2003
Kimberly Hill, a 10-year employee at the Kentucky Lottery Corp., testified at an unemployment compensation hearing on behalf of a co-worker who alleged discrimination. Soon …

Heads up: Workers can sue over ‘potty parity.’

02/01/2003
A manufacturing firm’s new plant had only one restroom, which was designed for men. Female workers were told they had to use that restroom during work hours, …

Monitor hiring process for subtle ‘name discrimination’

02/01/2003
Remind managers that it’s illegal to make hiring decisions based on a person’s race or ethnicity, even if that race is assumed because of the applicant’s name. A high-profile …

Keep your credibility intact: 12 lessons from the courtroom

02/01/2003
To avoid becoming the target of discrimination lawsuits, you need to protect your credibility as a leader and manager. Reason: It’s one of the top ways plaintiffs’ attorneys …

Don’t stray from layoff procedures

01/01/2003
A 65-year-old employee was laid off as part of a reduction in force. She claimed her supervisor had made age-related comments, and the company failed to follow its published RIF criteria …

Beware new court trend: Employees use expert to shift blame for failure

01/01/2003
If an employee drags you into court, don’t be surprised if the worker totes along his own expert witness to put your company in a bad light. More employees are …

Transfer to more demanding job doesn’t add up to retaliation

01/01/2003
After railroad laborer Sheila White complained that her foreman sexually harassed her, her employer investigated and temporarily suspended the foreman without pay. Soon after, the company gave White’s forklift duties to …