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Discrimination / Harassment

Handle return-to-work issues with care

07/15/2010

Employees and their lawyers know to dig deep when they’re considering filing a discrimination lawsuit. They hunt for anything that smacks of unequal treatment based on some protected classification—and if they find something, they’ll sue. Consider this example:

Responding to an office affair? Don’t forget the ‘fair’ part

07/15/2010
When an office romance is in full bloom, it’s a tough secret to keep from the perceptive masses. But how’s an employer supposed to respond when an affair causes turmoil in the workplace? This court decision offers a good warning: Don’t discipline one partner but not the other.

Using the Supreme Court’s model to prevent employment lawsuits

07/13/2010

You know you have an obligation to eliminate discrimination, harassment and retaliation. You know you have to make sure employees don’t harass co-workers or subordinates, or harm customers and others. On the other hand, you know applicants and employees have a right to privacy that is protected by state and federal laws. It’s a balancing act: Just how do you protect workers on the one hand, while respecting their privacy on the other?

Orlando’s Hilton Grand, EEOC settle pregnancy bias case

07/13/2010
Orlando-based Hilton Grand Vacations has agreed to settle an EEOC pregnancy discrimination lawsuit in which a former employee claimed the company asked her to resign during a difficult pregnancy in return for a promise to rehire her after her child was born.

Balance Staffing blindsided by recruiter’s ADA lawsuit

07/13/2010

Balance Staffing’s short-sighted treatment of a visually impaired recruiter will cost it $100,000 to settle a disability discrimination suit. Balance Staffing, a nationwide temp agency with operations in Florida, hired Jocelyn Snower. Snower was an experienced recruiter, but company owner Robert Feinstein did not know she was blind when he hired her. When he found out, he immediately fired her …

When an abusive supervisor is equally intolerable to everyone, is it harassment?

07/13/2010
As an HR professional, you’re constantly being called on to decide whether an employee’s rights have been violated. Take, for example, a manager who does a lot of indiscriminate yelling. As long as he  doesn’t say anything outrageously linked to sex or race, there may be nothing illegal about the behavior. But explaining that to the affected employees can be difficult.

Make it one of HR’s goals: Ensure everyone gets training on harassment

07/13/2010

Courts have long said that employers are supposed to be proactive about preventing and stopping sexual harassment in the workplace. Employers know or should know that simply having a sexual harassment policy in place isn’t enough—they have to aggressively enforce that policy. What employers may not fully realize is that no one within the organization is exempt from education, training and discipline.

When you learn of possible harassment, investigate promptly, take fast action

07/09/2010

Employers that act fast when an employee complains about any form of harassment can almost always salvage what would otherwise be a very bad situation. The key is prompt investigation—followed by equally fast and decisive action if it turns out the complaint has merit.

After years of harassment, settlement in flasher case

07/09/2010

Biewer Wisconsin Sawmill has agreed to settle sexual harassment complaints brought by two female employees alleging a male co-worker repeatedly exposed himself to them over the course of several years. Biewer, which has a manufacturing and distribution outlet in Seneca, failed to deal with the complaints promptly …

Balance Staffing blindsided by recruiter’s ADA lawsuit

07/09/2010
Balance Staffing’s short-sighted treatment of a visually impaired recruiter will cost it $100,000 to settle a disability discrimination suit.