• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Discrimination / Harassment

Reject accommodation requests that harm business relationships

03/01/2002
Elizabeth Anderson, an office worker for a shipping firm, regularly ended her conversations and written communications with customers with the words, “Have a blessed day.” After her employer got a …

Study: Race colors perceptions of workplace discrimination

03/01/2002
A new national survey of 1,000 workers portrays sharply different views of how minorities are treated at work, and should serve as a wake-up call to employers. One key …

Age-bias lawsuits: The costliest battles

03/01/2002
Getting slammed with a discrimination judgment is bad. And the worst are age discrimination cases. Reason: A new study from Jury Verdict Research shows that the median jury award in age-bias …

One instance of sex-based pay is enough to prove discrimination

02/01/2002
Despite having applied for the position of route manager, Michelle Hennick was hired for the lower-level job of new account specialist for Schwans, a direct frozen-food seller. Hennick later sued the …

Strict new definition of employee ‘disability’ means less fear of ADA

02/01/2002
Employers won a big victory last month when the U.S. Supreme Court made it tougher for workers with job-related physical impairments to claim protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). …

Tortoise to hare: EEOC speeds resolution of bias cases

02/01/2002
If an employee files a discrimination charge against you with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), don’t expect the case to hang in limbo. Reason: The EEOC is processing new discrimination …

When bias goes companywide, class-action lawsuits will follow

02/01/2002
Two recent rulings illustrate how more workers are seeking, and winning, class-action status in charges of companywide discrimination. Case 1. In December, a federal court in Illinois paved the way …

Don’t be tempted by corporate ministry services

02/01/2002

Q. Since Sept. 11 and due to the economic doldrums, some of our employees have not been the same emotionally. We’ve tried to be patient and understanding, but they seem to need something else. We’ve heard that some companies are contracting with corporate ministry services. Is this practice legal or advisable? —S.S., Virginia

Personnel files: What to keep, and where

02/01/2002

Q. What should we keep in personnel files? —G.T., Missouri

Consistency: Your key defense

01/01/2002
Three employees at a Minnesota prison complained when told they had to sit through a mandatory training session on gays and lesbians in the workplace. The warden tried to ease their …