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Discrimination / Harassment

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 …

Don’t invite EEOC to fish through your files

01/01/2002
When dealing with the federal government, sometimes too much compliance can get you in trouble. What happened? When the Equal Employment Oppor-tunity Commission (EEOC) got a complaint about racial discrimination …

Leaving managers untrained is ‘extraordinary mistake’

01/01/2002
Anthony Mathis had 24 years’ experience selling cars, but the application he dropped off at Phillips Chevrolet didn’t even get him an interview. The dealership hired seven younger salespeople. Mathis …

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