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Discrimination / Harassment

Must we allow unlimited breaks for mothers to express breast milk?

06/28/2017
Q. An employee just came into HR demanding that we provide her with unlimited breaks for expressing milk. Is this true? She said she read it at the Minnesota Department of Labor website.

When bias charges loom, documentation proves discipline was warranted

06/28/2017
When it comes to terminating an employee for poor performance, careful documentation is essential. Make sure you can later explain exactly how you handled the employee’s performance problems.

Isolated comments not enough for lawsuit

06/28/2017
Worried about how to handle offensive co-worker comments? You certainly want to discourage such behavior and make clear it must stop. However, take comfort in knowing that a few stray comments over time won’t cost you a hostile work environment lawsuit.

OK to set high anti-harassment standard

06/28/2017
When it comes to preventing harassment, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act sets a minimum threshold for compliance. Employers are free to hold employees to a higher standard.

Uber skids into sexual harassment ditch

06/22/2017
Since February, ride-hailing colossus Uber has been roiled by accusations that its corporate culture condones rampant sexual harassment. The $70 billion company’s missteps since then have more closely resembled a train wreck than a safe and smooth ride home.

EEOC sends Brooklyn educator back to school on sex bias

06/19/2017
The chief executive officer of Special Education Associates, a Brooklyn provider of education services for developmentally delayed pre-school children, cost the firm $57,000 for his attempt to woo a job applicant.

Document that you held anti-harassment training

06/19/2017
It’s easier to defeat sexual harassment lawsuits if you have a robust anti-harassment policy and let employees know exactly how to use it. The key is to prove that the worker knew about the policy but failed to use it.

It’s simple: No comments ever about employee’s religion or religious practices

06/19/2017
The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals has reinstated a lawsuit against a bank based on a manager’s frequent comments to a Muslim employee that she should remove her hijab.

Big bucks for harassment, plus attorneys’ fees

06/19/2017
A New York State appeals court has concluded that a state trooper who suffered sexual harassment over a period of almost 15 years is entitled to more than just the usual damages. Her attorneys’ fees will be paid separately, leaving the jury award intact for the trooper alone.

English-only rule must have legit business purpose

06/15/2017
Two cashiers at a Forever 21 retail store in California were allegedly forbidden to speak Spanish at work and then threatened with termination for filing a discrimination complaint.