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Indiana

Detailed personnel records defeat bias claim

07/28/2025
Employers who keep detailed personnel records that include objective, fact-driven performance reviews often win discrimination lawsuits soon after the employee sues.

‘Impossible’ PIP sinks employer’s discharge appeal

07/07/2025
Performance-improvement plans should be challenging enough to let supervisors know the employee is up to performing their essential job functions at an acceptable level. Set reasonable, objective goals that can be achieved with sufficient effort in the time allotted in the PIP.

After Muldrow, beware routine management decisions that may trigger bias lawsuits

01/27/2025
Courts recognize that employers must be free to manage their workforces as they see fit—with some limitations. But that live-and-let-live ethos changed when the Supreme Court issued its Muldrow v. St. Louis decision in April 2024.

ADA compliance: Be prepared to prove disabled employee can’t do job

12/09/2024
Under the ADA, employers must reasonably accommodate disabled employees so they can perform the essential functions of their jobs. After unsuccessfully trying several accommodations, it may become clear that none will actually allow the employee to perform the essential functions. That changes the ADA equation.

Modify ADA process in unique scenarios

10/10/2024
The ADA requires employers to reasonably accommodate disabilities—if the employee asks. But what if the employee is intellectually challenged and doesn’t understand they must initiate the ADA process?

Who can sue you if employees work remotely?

09/19/2024
The Fair Labor Standards Act sets nationwide standards for wage-and-hour compliance and also allows employees to bring collective lawsuits against their employers for FLSA violations. Can employees who work remotely in far-flung states join together in one lawsuit and sue their employer?

Counter refusal to participate in diversity training

08/30/2024
Recently, we have seen an increase in lawsuits from workers who believe that being forced to participate in any kind of diversity training violates their Title VII rights. Now a federal appeals court has tossed out one such case. The court concluded that the worker’s refusal was unreasonable and his claims meritless.

Didn’t know about customer harassment? Unless you were reckless, you won’t be liable

08/19/2024
Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, employers are liable for the sexual harassment of their employees unless they have a solid no-harassment policy, a clear process for bringing harassment to management’s attention and a process to stop harassment as soon as possible. Employers must still try to prevent and stop the harassment, but employees are unlikely to win in court unless they can show that their employer recklessly permitted the customer harassment.

Ensure all pre-employment qualification tests are specific to the job and your needs

03/11/2024
Once you have made a job offer, you can only require physical qualification tests that are job-related and consistent with business necessity. The rule is designed to ensure that tests don’t have a disparate negative impact on members of protected classes.

Access to Personnel Files: 50 State Laws

02/16/2024
No federal law grants employees the right to inspect their personnel files. However, many states do give employees that right and spell out the terms under which employees are allowed to inspect their files. Here’s a state-by-state list of laws governing access to personnel files.