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Discrimination / Harassment

Train bosses: Snap decisions almost always risky

09/10/2015

Treating an applicant rudely or making snap judgments can mean ending up in court, trying to defend against charges of race or other perceived discrimination. Here’s a case you can use as an example of how not to greet an applicant even if you are sure he won’t be hired.

NYC legal temp agency gets lesson in discrimination law

09/10/2015
The owners of New York City-based Strategic Legal Staffing were apparently surprised to learn how litigious lawyers can be. The legal temp agency found out the hard way when it allegedly rejected a job candidate after learning she was 70 years  old.

Why you must track participation in training

09/10/2015

In many workplaces, promotions partly depend on completing training sessions or otherwise showing efforts to improve and grow. But some employees won’t make the effort. Of course, that doesn’t mean they won’t sue over missed promotions. That’s why you should be prepared to show which employees took advantage of training opportunities and which employees didn’t.

EEOC report details progress of women, minorities at work

09/09/2015
In conjunction with its 50th anniversary, the EEOC has compiled data showing that women and minorities have made significant yet still incomplete inroads in a changing employment landscape.

Trying to ensure pay equality? Be sure to account for even slight differences in duties

09/09/2015

Under the Equal Pay Act, workers of one sex who perform substantially similar jobs are entitled to the same pay as their counterparts of the opposite sex. But it doesn’t take much to make jobs dissimilar enough to thwart direct comparisons. Keep this in mind when preparing job descriptions and explaining pay differences.

Dallas doctors’ service to pay for CEO’s harassment

09/09/2015
Dallas-based physician outsourcing group EmCare will pay dearly for its CEO’s raunchy behavior. Following a jury verdict awarding $499,000 to three former employees for sexual harassment, the federal judge in charge of the case has ordered the firm to pay an additional $183,000 in attorneys’ fees to the lead plaintiff in the case.

Worker worships on Saturday: What to do

09/08/2015
Business is booming, so you’re adding hours. That’s great news for everyone—except Joe, one of your top employees. He says he can’t work the company’s new mandated Saturday shift. His religion won’t allow it, he says, and he wants an accommodation.

Harassment: Avoid these 8 common mistakes

09/07/2015

The EEOC handled 6,862 charges of sexual harassment in fiscal year 2014, collecting $35 million on behalf of victims. Almost all those cases could have been prevented—here’s how.

Repeat after me: Never fire anyone for wearing a religious headscarf!

09/03/2015
Rotten Ralph’s, a popular Philadelphia restaurant, has been sued by the EEOC, which alleges that the eatery violated federal law when it refused to allow a Muslim server to wear a religious headscarf as a reasonable accommodation of her religious beliefs and instead fired her.

Comcast settles sex bias charges involving call centers

09/01/2015
Philadelphia-based Comcast has settled charges it manipulated women into taking lower paying jobs at a call center in Washington.