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Discrimination / Harassment

Long delay seldom sinks lawsuits; retain records until case is resolved

11/01/2005

If you know an employee has filed a complaint with the EEOC or state anti-discrimination agency, don’t trash any relevant records until you receive official notification that the case has been resolved and won’t be appealed …

Unions: Brace for renewed organizing in wake of union rift

11/01/2005
THE LAW. The 1935 National Labor Relations Act gives employees the right to organize, bargain collectively and strike. In the 1940s, Congress
tried to correct union abuses of power by …

Denying leave may be legal, but unwise, for small firms

11/01/2005

Q. We had a full-time RN request time off to be with her husband who experienced a heart attack. We’re a small medical center with 25 employees. Administration was very upset and wouldn’t let her take any paid time off and wouldn’t guarantee her position. She had lots of sick time and vacation time in the bank. Can the company do that? —D.B., Pennsylvania

Beware growing liability risk: harassment by customers

11/01/2005
Issue: Courts are cracking down on employers that tolerate customer harassment of foreign-born employees.
Risk: Supervisors sometimes are more lenient with harassment by customers than by employees. That’s a big …

Employees can disobey bias-tainted orders

10/01/2005
When an employee refuses to carry out an order, supervisors may automatically think such insubordination is worthy of discipline or firing. Not so fast! That initial response, punish the employee, may …

A surprise inspection can uncover discrimination before it’s too late

10/01/2005
There may be areas of your workplace that supervisors, and maybe even HR, rarely visit, such as locker rooms, loading docks and break rooms. But don’t take a “hear no evil, …

Even small changes to employees’ schedules can equal retaliation

10/01/2005
To prove retaliation claims in court, employees must be able to show they suffered negative employment action in response to their lawsuit, such as termination, lowering of pay, denying a promotion …

Converting staff to contractors isn’t bias, but do it correctly

10/01/2005
Terminating a class of employees and offering them to return as independent contractors can save you thousands. But it may raise eyebrows. That’s why, to avoid lawsuits under the Age Discrimination …

Check state, local laws on sexual-orientation bias

10/01/2005
No federal law grants job discrimination protection for people due to their sexual orientation or “gender identity,” but many employers are unaware that several state and local laws make workplace bias …

Drug-test cheating on the rise; fight back with random tests

10/01/2005
Can you trust negative drug test results anymore?
The Internet is flooded with products, more than 400, according to a Business Insurance report, that help employees and job candidates cheat …