Discrimination / Harassment

Employees in ‘unique’ jobs can use broad comparisons to show pay bias

08/01/2001
Nancy Kroh successfully sued for gender discrimination, claiming her male colleagues were treated more favorably. But on appeal, the court tossed the award out. The com-pany convinced the appeals court that …

Simple hearsay about harassment doesn’t create hostile environment

08/01/2001
When Diane Leibovitz heard that two employees of the New York City Transit Authority had been harassed, she claimed that made her a victim of a hostile environment and filed …

Cost-sharing can cost you in arbitration agreements

08/01/2001
To get a job as an airport security agent, Damiana Perez had to agree to arbitrate all employment disputes. The agreement required her and the company to split the costs of …

Don’t ignore minority-on-minority harassment

08/01/2001
Steven Bell worked at a state prison with a co-worker who often hurled racial epithets at him, calling him “cracker” and “white boy.” Bell is Filipino and his harasser is …

Push for contraceptive coverage gets shove from federal court

08/01/2001
If you’re not already covering prescription contraceptives with your health plan, there’s new pressure to do so. For the first time, a federal court has ruled that excluding …

Brush up religious-bias policy; workplace getting more diverse

08/01/2001
More than a third of HR professionals say their work force includes more religions than just five years ago, according to a new survey from the Society for Human Resource …

Age-bias issues don’t stop at the border

08/01/2001
Even employees working outside the country are covered under age-bias laws. The federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) applies to U.S. citizens working in foreign …

You can limit domestic partner benefits to same-sex couples

07/01/2001
If you’re thinking about extending benefits to employees’ domestic partners, be prepared to defend any limits. When the Chicago school board decided to extend spousal health benefits to domestic partners …

Make sure your accommodations are on par with Casey Martin ruling

07/01/2001
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that the PGA Tour must allow disabled golfer Casey Martin to ride in a cart during tournaments isn’t based on employment law, but that doesn’t mean …

Urge Staff to Visit Doctor During Off-Duty Hours

07/01/2001

Q. We don’t usually require employees to provide documentation when they take time off for doctors’ appointments, but one worker has a pattern of scheduling these “appointments” on the Friday before holiday weekends. Can we request verification from the doctor’s office on a case-by-case basis? —J.B., Washington