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

Discrimination / Harassment

How discrimination beliefs are driving resistance to DEI initiatives

07/09/2025
When conversations around workplace equity stall or spark conflict, it’s often not because someone is unwilling to engage, but because people are starting from entirely different premises. A new Pew Research Center report highlights how vastly Americans’ perceptions of discrimination differ across political, demographic and social lines.

Dismiss racist taunts at your peril

07/09/2025
The cardinal rule for racist slurs and jokes is this: Never ignore a complaint without an investigation or assume an innocent intent. And watch what you say in emails!

Bystander harassment reporter has rights, too

07/07/2025
The EEOC has long said that one of the keys to stopping workplace harassment is to encourage bystander reporting, where individuals witnessing or hearing about apparent harassment report what they saw or heard to HR. But sometimes, as happened in a recent case, management decides that rather than listen to the bystander, they’ll punish the messenger.

Painful periods? That’s no reason not to hire

06/23/2025
The EEOC takes discrimination against women because of their unique reproductive characteristics seriously, as a recent lawsuit settlement shows.

How discrimination beliefs are driving resistance to DEI initiatives

06/23/2025
When conversations around workplace equity stall or spark conflict, it’s often not because someone is unwilling to engage, but because people are starting from entirely different premises. A new Pew Research Center report highlights how vastly Americans’ perceptions of discrimination differ across political, demographic and social lines.

Why EEOC’s refusal to pay state discrimination agencies means more lawsuits

06/17/2025
Recently, the EEOC indicated that it will no longer pay state anti-discrimination agencies for work they do on complaints involving gender identity discrimination or claims of disparate impact before they’re sent to the EEOC.

Downsizing DEI? RIFs may backfire

06/12/2025
It may be tempting to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion policies entirely. But before you do so, consider the potential unintended consequences, especially if you lay off everyone you hired to run the programs. Those sidelined employees who were supposed to help you create a diverse workplace may sue you.

Teen harassment? Avoid a PR nightmare

06/12/2025
Teens can ask a question and get an instant (sometimes inaccurate) answer. Couple that with government websites designed to provide teens with accurate information about their rights, and you have a recipe for a PR nightmare.

Proposed legislation seeks to level the playing field for age-bias claims

06/09/2025
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is working to change the legal standards older employees must meet to bring forward age-discrimination claims.

Disparate-impact discrimination about-face doesn’t mean it’s gone

06/09/2025
Disparate-impact discrimination is a legal theory that holds that an entity may be discriminating unlawfully even though it has neutral rules if those rules have a disparate impact on a protected class. It is unintentional discrimination.