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Discrimination / Harassment

EEOC spots vision-related bias, secures $100K settlement

06/24/2014
San Jose-based Riviera Consulting will pay $100,000 to a former employee after the firm terminated him because of his poor eyesight.

Warn bosses: No comments on national origins, no matter which nation

06/24/2014
Remind supervisors that they may not joke or make assumptions about employees based on where they were born, their origins or other national or ethnic characteristics.

Don’t let rogue supervisor destroy your solid training and promotion program

06/24/2014

You may think you have a great training program that helps good employees acquire new skills and then promotes the best ones. But it takes just one rogue super­visor to sink the best training if you don’t have checks and balances to make sure it is being used appropriately.

Executive order will ban LGBT bias for federal contractors

06/24/2014
President Obama plans to sign an executive order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees and job applicants, according to White House officials.

Federal contractors: New rule will ban anti-gay bias

06/20/2014
The White House announced June 16 that President Obama will soon issue an executive order that bans federal contractors from discriminating in hiring, firing, compensation or work conditions based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

EEOC issues new employer guidance on religious dress and grooming

06/16/2014
As the workforce becomes more diverse, religious accommodation requests are becoming more common. In addressing such requests, employers should be mindful of the new in­­for­­mal guidance recently issued by the EEOC regarding religious accommodations involving dress or grooming.

Prepare to show you were fair if disabled workers take a hit during RIF

06/16/2014
Sometimes, poor appearances lead to lawsuits. That can certainly be the case when a reduction in force (RIF) seems to disproportionately affect a protected class of workers.

Good past performance doesn’t rule out firing

06/16/2014

Sometimes, employees can only imagine that discrimination or retaliation is to blame for their sudden unemployment. If you had a good reason to terminate such an employee, don’t worry. The circumstances immediately preceding the discharge decision are what matter.

Changing job assignment soon after hire? That may be deemed a demotion

06/16/2014
Here’s a cautionary tale about changing a new employee’s job duties soon after hire. He or she may claim the real reason is discrimination if the change happened soon after a new boss discovered the employee belonged to a protected class.

Suspect an employee is being harassed? Ask if she wants an investigation

06/11/2014
Some employees may be embarrassed when they experience sex­­ual harassment. They may feel too uncomfortable to come right out and repeat offensive comments they heard. What should HR do?