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Discrimination / Harassment

Employee’s religious belief doesn’t let her dictate your business

06/01/2001
Sandra Bruff was a counselor for an employee assistance program (EAP), but she balked at helping employees deal with their homosexual or extramarital relationships. That kind of advice violated her religious …

Go for the gold: Craft waivers that release you from all lawsuits

06/01/2001
The teachers and students in the classroom where Mary Jefferson was a part-time aide regularly used derogatory terms for females, such as bitch, slut and whore. As a result, Jefferson filed …

Don’t withhold promised severance when a former employee files suit

06/01/2001
When Shawn Bernstein lost his job in a company merger, he sued under just about every discrimination law imaginable. The court threw out those claims, saying the company had legitimate reasons …

Don’t let policies rot on a shelf; educate staff or lose your defense

06/01/2001
Sprint wasn’t ignorant of sexual harassment. The company had distributed a human resources policy guide to all employees in 1990 and posted it in all offices. Its code of ethics urges …

Informal vacation policy can cost you.

06/01/2001
Don’t leave any doubt about when workers are on vacation. Michael Pelletier’s employer fired him after 20 years on the job, claiming he failed to show up for three days …

Be clear which company is the employer.

06/01/2001
Tri-Me Transportation was the company that paid Geri Heinemeier and the one she listed as her employer. When Heinemeier sued the company for sexual harassment, the judge ordered Tri-Me to …

Retaliation doesn’t have to be part of original complaint.

06/01/2001
Don’t rest if a discrimination suit against you doesn’t claim retaliation from the outset. The employee can usually add it later, if the retaliation is related to the initial complaint. A …

Supreme Court: One crude remark doesn’t equal hostile environment

06/01/2001
A supervisor reviewing reports on job applicants with two other employees noted that one candidate had told a co-worker, “I hear that making love to you is like making love to …

Bankruptcy bias: Handle deadbeat applicants carefully

06/01/2001
Don’t refuse to hire applicants, and don’t fire current employees, solely because they’ve filed for bankruptcy. The U.S. Bankruptcy Code bars such discrimination. However, you can consider an applicant’s overall …

Rethink your nepotism policy

06/01/2001
If you have a policy that bans hiring employees’ spouses, consider dropping it, or at least rewriting it. Reason: 14 percent of dual-income married couples now work in the same …