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Discrimination / Harassment

High court to weigh claims of ‘disparate impact’ by age

01/01/2002
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether workers who claim age discrimination can base their arguments on the fact that older workers at the company, as a group, were …

Ask about right to work, not immigration status

01/01/2002

Q. Is it OK to ask an applicant about her immigration status before making an offer of employment? —A.R., New York

Blue Mondays? Thwart Attempt at 3-Day Weekends

01/01/2002

Q. How can we handle an employee who routinely uses vacation and sick time on Mondays? —D.M., Ohio

Staring can be sexual harassment

12/01/2001
Assembly-line worker Michelle Birschtein complained to her foreman when a forklift driver made sexual remarks to her. The driver never spoke to her again, but he did stare at her, five …

Each paycheck can equal a discriminatory act

12/01/2001
After six years on the job, Gerard Cardenas quit and sued his company, alleging that he was paid less because he is a Mexican American. A lower court tossed out his …

Off-Duty Parties Sometimes Carry Liability

12/01/2001

Q. A recent sexual harassment complaint reported the conduct of management employees at a private party. The party was outside the normal workday and wasn’t sponsored by the company. What is the company’s liability? —W.S., Wisconsin

Keep your workplace safe for pregnant employees

11/01/2001
Verona Meyer was about 35 weeks pregnant when she slipped while working at a Burger King and struck her lower abdomen on the corner of a table. The baby was born …

Don’t leave victim in doubt about response to harassment

11/01/2001
It started innocently enough. After Romelia Frazier’s car was stolen, she rode to work for several months with another Delco employee, Bester Spears. He had just divorced a woman who had …

To keep arbitration clause legal, ensure workers’ cost is reasonable

11/01/2001
When SFX bought a New York radio station, it required all workers to sign a binding arbitration clause. Station employee Tracy Christopher later accused the company of gender and pregnancy …

Use peer job reviews to fight rising bias claims

11/01/2001
Adding a peer review element to your performance reviews can help prevent claims that negative evaluations stem from discrimination. More companies are doing it. Twenty-eight percent of companies now have …