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Discrimination / Harassment

Instruct managers: Make and retain interview notes

04/01/2007

If your managers conduct interviews, whether by phone or live, it’s a good idea to remind them to take and keep good notes of those discussions. They’ll need them in case an applicant (or internal candidate) sues …

It’s harder for staff to block discipline using ‘Junk’ claims

04/01/2007

The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD) makes it illegal to retaliate against employees simply because they’ve filed a discrimination complaint. Employees know this law. So, all too often, employees who are having trouble at work file an internal complaint as a preemptive strike …

Keep good records of employee leaves; workers have three years to file FMLA suits

04/01/2007

It pays to keep some records longer than you think you’ll need them. For example, any notes, correspondence, medical certifications and other documents related to an employee’s FMLA leave request should be kept a minimum of three years …

Employee acting out of character? Balance safety, liability

04/01/2007

An otherwise good employee is acting out of character, and you think she needs help. Do you insist she contact the employee assistance program (EAP), and send her home? …

Former HR exec wins $9 million in gender-Bias lawsuit

04/01/2007

Curtiss-Wright Corporation was ordered to pay $9 million to former HR exec Joyce Quinlan after a Newark Superior Court jury found that the company denied her promotions because of her gender and then fired her when she filed a complaint …

The fine line between humor and harassment in Passaic County

04/01/2007

How do you know where to draw the line between workplace humor and harassment? The answer: You don’t get to make that choice. Harassment, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. And it begins when somebody decides they’ve had enough of the “jokes” …

Nextel employees claim that sweetheart deal was a bitter pill

04/01/2007

Five former Nextel employees who received settlements from a class-action discrimination lawsuit have filed suit against Nextel and the law firm that brokered the settlement …

Investigating EEOC complaint? You’re protected from retaliation, too

04/01/2007

If you’ve ever worried that participation in the internal investigation of an EEOC complaint might land you in trouble, you can take some comfort in a recent federal appeals court decision …

You can ban employee smoking, but can you ban smokers?

04/01/2007

Employers are always looking for ways to cut health care costs … and smoking and overweight employees may seem like ripe targets for change …

Brace Against Rising Tide of Age-Bias Lawsuits in Florida

04/01/2007

Florida’s population is the oldest in the United States. So perhaps it comes as no surprise that older workers in the state are becoming increasingly litigious in filing Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) lawsuits …