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Discrimination / Harassment

Restaurant owner learns price of harassment: $40,750

08/01/2007

Three female employees of the Crazy Horse Steak House in New Oxford will share $40,750 for harassment allegedly committed by owner Nicholas Mavros. The women claimed Mavros commented on their breasts, asked what color underwear they were wearing, invited them to come to a motel to have sex, touched them against their wishes and even put his hands down an employee’s pants …

The whole truth: Discrimination costs Philips Lighting $164,850

08/01/2007

A female temporary worker on a long-term assignment for NJ-based Philips Lighting Co. won a $164,850 verdict for gender discrimination against the company. The woman, who worked in the warehouse of the company’s Mountaintop, PA, plant, claimed the company offered full-time positions only to male temps. She asked about full-time employment several times and was told she was next in line. Instead, she was fired …

Immigration: Know Your ‘Border Guard’ Responsibilities

08/01/2007

Immigration reform was a hot topic in Washington during the first half of 2007, but Congress ultimately failed to pass legislation to tighten enforcement of decades-old laws that regulate which foreign-born workers are eligible to work in the United States. Fairly or not, look for employers and the HR functions to bear much of the enforcement responsibilities. Your best bet: Make sure you document employees’ eligibility to work by thoroughly completing and maintaining up-to-date I-9 forms …

Hiring questions: What’s off limits?

08/01/2007

Q. What questions are off limits on an employment application or when conducting a job interview?

What Makes an Environment ‘Hostile’?

08/01/2007

Q. What factors determine whether an environment is “hostile”? …

Transparent process best defense against hiring lawsuits

08/01/2007

The success of your organization depends on hiring the right people. You spend a lot of time and effort determining the company’s needs and designing job descriptions that meet those needs. Don’t let a potential discrimination lawsuit ruin all that hard work. Instead, make the hiring process as transparent as possible …

Track pay raises as defense to retaliation claims

08/01/2007

Sometimes, employees who have complained about real or imagined discrimination look for evidence that they’re being punished for complaining. Then, when something happens at work that may be completely unrelated to the complaint (e.g., a missed raise because of budget constraints or job cuts due to business cycles), they cry retaliation. Your best protection is to keep detailed records of all pay increases and merit payments …

Beware any change in working conditions after complaint

08/01/2007

When an employee claims discrimination, HR should make sure that employee isn’t retaliated against. But retaliation is more than lost promotions, discharge or demotions. Retaliation can be any employer-initiated action that would deter a reasonable person from complaining. That’s why it’s crucial for HR to let supervisors and managers know they shouldn’t change anything about the employee’s working conditions without HR approval …

Remove open job listings if you don’t plan to fill them

08/01/2007

Do you routinely keep unfilled positions open and posted? If so, consider removing them until your organization plans to actively recruit to fill them. Otherwise, an employee who is disgruntled for not having been promoted may see the posting and try to argue that he or she is being retaliated against for prior complaints …

How not to treat a pregnant employee

08/01/2007

Pregnant Texas employees are protected from discrimination under the Texas Commission of Human Rights Act (TCHRA). The TCHRA prohibits sex discrimination and makes it an “unlawful employment practice if because of … sex … the employer discharges an individual.” It also defines sex discrimination to include “discrimination because of or on the basis of pregnancy.” …