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Discrimination / Harassment

Put limits on supervisors’ ‘power-differentiated’ relationships

09/01/2005
A new court ruling gives you more reason to consider a “no-dating” rule among your employees or a “no-dating subordinates” rule for your supervisors. At the very least, require supervisors to …

Don’t shrug off complaints of female-on-male harassment

09/01/2005
If a male employee complains about sexually harassing comments by a female co-worker, how would your supervisors respond?
Too often, bosses (and some HR professionals) laugh off such “reverse” harassment …

EEOC revises definition of ‘timely’ discrimination charge

09/01/2005
To file a legal workplace discrimination claim with the EEOC, employees must show that the alleged discrimination occurred within a certain time frame or filing “threshold.” Now, the EEOC has revised …

Analyze employee handouts for legally explosive content

09/01/2005
Issue: Ready-to-use employee training materials flood the Internet.
Risk: Your supervisors create liability risks by distributing videos, books or handouts without first vetting them for offensive content.
Action: Review …

You can cut wages for ‘Maxed Out’ employees

09/01/2005

Q. We have some employees who are earning the maximum salary for their job classifications. Can we cut their pay if we feel they’re overpaid? —D.N., Colorado

Check bankruptcy records when employees sue

08/01/2005
If your organization is hit with an employee lawsuit, consider having your attorney check for a bankruptcy filing by the employee who sues you. If the lawsuit isn’t listed as an asset with …

Prevent retaliation: Urge managers to keep cool in face of a lawsuit

08/01/2005
When an employee makes noise about discrimination, it’s natural to become defensive. It hurts to be accused of
breaking the law, especially if it isn’t true. But don’t let a …

If supervisors harass, keep your defense alive with quick action

08/01/2005
In sexual harassment cases, your worst-case scenario is harassment by a supervisor. That’s because sex harassment by a supervisor resulting in a tangible employment action (firing, demotion, pay cut, etc.) is …

‘Winging it’ during interviews poses double danger

08/01/2005
Using unstructured, “tell me about yourself” questions during job interviews not only opens you to discrimination claims, it often results in poor hires, says Mindy Chapman, national director of training for …

Prevent age-based harassment: No ‘old guy’ jokes

08/01/2005
Even among employers that serve as models for sexual harassment and race-discrimination training, one type of bias often tolerated is age-based discrimination and harassment, says Atlanta-based employment-law attorney Douglas Towns.
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