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Discrimination / Harassment

New EEOC guide could spur severance-plan gripes

08/20/2009

Departing employees who are asked to sign severance packages now have a new tool to discover if those packages comply with federal law. The EEOC just unveiled a new guidance document that is expected to cause more people to question their severance packages—either to HR or to a court.

The 7 biggest triggers to age bias claims … and how to avoid them

08/20/2009

The ADEA makes it illegal to discriminate against people age 40 and older in hiring, terminations, pay, promotions, benefits and any other terms of employment. Here are the key areas where age bias claims typically pop up:

Must we allow (or stop) Bible study at work?

08/20/2009

Q. An employee sent a companywide e-mail inviting employees to attend a morning prayer and Bible study prior to work that will be held on the company premises. Do we have to allow this (or do we have to shut it down)?

Same job, different pay: Is that legal?

08/20/2009

Q. We have two employees who have the same job title, job description and functions. We pay one a flat salary ($120,000). We pay the other a base salary plus a fixed rate for hours that are billable to the customer ($70,000, plus $20 for every billable hour). Can we do this or should their salary structures be identical?

Must we allow (or stop) Bible study at work?

08/20/2009

Q. An employee sent a companywide e-mail inviting employees to attend a morning prayer and Bible study prior to work that will be held on the company premises. Do we have to allow this (or do we have to shut it down)?

Porn on shared computer? Investigate carefully

08/14/2009

Your computer-usage policy no doubt prohibits visiting pornographic and other inappropriate sites. But what if someone surfs forbidden sites using a computer that an entire group of employees has access to? That makes it difficult to positively identify the guilty user. Your IT department can provide technical assistance so you can base your investigation and conclusions on facts.

Chicago hotel to pay $90,000 to settle disability bias case

08/14/2009

Swissotel has entered into a settlement agreement after the EEOC alleged supervisors at the Swissotel Chicago harassed a developmentally disabled employee. According to the suit, hotel managers called the worker “retard” and ultimately fired him because of his disability.

Keep cases from escalating: When hot-headed manager blows up, order cooling-off period

08/14/2009

Even the best bosses sometimes blow up. An employee slacks off or messes up, and the manager lashes out. Everyone knows such outbursts shouldn’t happen. That doesn’t mean they won’t. How you handle the aftermath may make the difference between a jury trial and a smooth return to workplace normalcy.

Beware that bloated résumé: Extra skills don’t necessarily mean better qualified

08/14/2009

Employees who want a promotion sometimes get upset when they aren’t selected, especially if the job winds up going to someone they perceive as less skilled or talented. But if the spurned employee’s extra skills or training weren’t necessary, they aren’t particularly relevant. And they’re certainly no proof that the promotion process was tainted by bias.

Make sure promotion panels don’t know anything about candidates’ prior complaints

08/14/2009

When promoting from within, one of the best ways to protect against retaliation claims is to use a promotion panel. If possible, make sure panel members don’t know about any complaints any of the candidates might have previously filed. That way, if the employee who says he’s being retaliated against doesn’t get the job, he can’t blame it on the panel’s knowledge of his prior protected activity.