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Discrimination / Harassment

Beware legal pitfalls of rehiring ex-workers, laid-off staff

07/01/2004
If your organization pared back during the economic slide, you may be joining other employers that are rebuilding their staffing levels.
More employers expect to pick up the hiring pace …

Pay attention to rising complaints of ‘same-race’ bias

07/01/2004
Issue: Courts are seeing a spike in discrimination claims involving people of the same race.
Risk: Some supervisors wrongly ignore same-race complaints, believing, for example, that “blacks can’t discriminate against …

More reason to stop harassment: Even ‘resignees’ can sue

07/01/2004
Issue: Whether employees who resign have the same right to file harassment lawsuits as those who are fired. Risk/benefit: A new Supreme Court ruling says “Yes,” quitters can sue. But …

What’s the cost of a chair? A lot less than a lawsuit

07/01/2004
Issue: Minor squabbles between employees and supervisors escalating into illegal “discipline.” Risk: If left unchecked, they can escalate, resulting in discrimination or retaliation claims. Action: Use the following case …

Don’t write wishy-washy policies that make it hard for staff to comply

06/01/2004
Your employment policies should never leave employees guessing about how they must comply.
That’s why it’s vital to use concrete terms in your
policies that discuss employee behaviors and …

You can trim health benefits for Medicare-eligible retirees

06/01/2004
If your organization offers health insurance to retired employees, an important new Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruling says you can reduce or eliminate those benefits after the ex-employee becomes eligible …

Supreme Court expands filing window in ‘Section 1981’ cases

06/01/2004
The U.S. Supreme Court last month set a four-year statute of limitations in so-called “Section 1981” discrimination cases.
While most employees file discrimination cases under Title VII of the Civil …

Interviewing: Sharpen skills to stamp out hiring bias

06/01/2004
THE LAW. Job interviews are a legal minefield for HR people and managers. Your questions must avoid stepping on federal and state equal employment laws that ban discrimination on the basis …

Cross-dressing at work isn’t protected by law.

05/01/2004
A hospital fired an ER doctor for violating its gender-specific dress code. The doctor had continued to wear nail polish, cosmetics and “visible female undergarments” after being warned that his appearance …

Parenthood: Walk the fine line between accommodation & bias

05/01/2004
Even if your state or local laws protect employees based
on their “marital status” or “family responsibilities,” that
doesn’t mean parent/employees can create their own schedule. You can still …