Discrimination / Harassment

Ensure security procedures discourage sexual harassment, make it easy to spot

02/25/2020

These days, more employers are using security screening to protect employees, customers and clients from potential violence. But those screenings can spur resentment, anger and—occasionally—charges of sexual harassment, as this recent case shows.

Justify ‘English-only’ rule on safety, service and efficiency—not simply preference

02/20/2020

Establishing language restrictions in the workplace isn’t automatically illegal. However, depending on how restrictive your rule is (and your reason for establishing it), an English-only policy could create liability under federal and state national-origin discrimination laws.

With EEOC on a roll, enforce your policies

02/20/2020

The EEOC has been active recently, addressing a wide variety of workplace harassment and discrimination cases. Here’s a sampling.

Settling still possible after catastrophic loss

02/20/2020

Here’s an important note for employers that lose lawsuits and get zapped with huge jury awards: Don’t give up trying to reach a settlement with the employee who sued.

Snapshot: Sources of EEOC disability discrimination charges

02/18/2020

Disability discrimination was the most common EEOC bias charge last year. Here are the five most frequent medical reasons for disability discrimination complaints.

Congressional Dems query JPMorgan about race bias

02/18/2020

Following an article in The New York Times detailing apparent discrimination by the JPMorgan Chase bank against black clients, several Democratic members of Congress have requested specific information from CEO Jaime Dimon.

Telecommuting OK for some? Allow for pregnant staff, too

02/18/2020

If working from home is an option for some of your employees, be sure to consider it a possible reasonable accommodation for pregnant women who have temporary restrictions.

Employee must actually ask employer for religious accommodations

02/18/2020

An employer’s obligation to discuss reasonable religious accommodations isn’t triggered by a general complaint about scheduling. The employee must make a specific request for the religious accommodation so the employer can evaluate it.

Angry outbursts are inappropriate, but don’t always create hostile environment

02/18/2020

Sometimes, supervisors lose their cool with a difficult subordinate. Fortunately, a few isolated incidents aren’t enough to create a hostile work environment.

Terrible job interview? Note that for the record

02/18/2020

Tell members of hiring committees that it’s important to make note of a candidate who interviews poorly. That’s especially true if the candidate isn’t selected and the interview was an important reason why.