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Policies / Handbooks

‘Hello, Liability?’ The new trend of telephone testing

03/01/2007

Why does “testing” bring about that sledgehammer-in-the-stomach feeling? Maybe because, as students, we never knew quite what to expect. Now, the same is true when it comes to a recent trend in employment-law cases: applicants and employees making phone calls to secretly test whether your organization is discriminating …

Reacting to harassment complaint: First-Day Action Is Vital

03/01/2007

If you don’t have an action plan in place for responding to sexual harassment complaints, develop one now. Don’t wait until the phone rings or an e-mail arrives detailing sexual wrongdoing. By then, it may be too late …

How far must you go in Florida to protect employees’ data?

03/01/2007

In the process of recruiting, hiring, firing and just running a business, employers accumulate a large amount of personal data from applicants, employees and business associates. Florida law requires employers to take reasonable steps to safeguard such personal data …

The gloves are off: Haitians win lawsuit against landscaping firm

03/01/2007

Dias Landscapes Corporation of Boynton Beach will pay $150,000 to settle an EEOC lawsuit over firing five Haitian employees and replacing them with Hispanic workers …

Understanding religious accommodations in Georgia workplaces

03/01/2007

Georgia mirrors America’s growing diversity in many ways. Today, mosques occupy old churches; many workers wear burqas and yarmulkes; and some employees request “prayer breaks.” Religious diversity is a reason for celebration, but it also presents challenges in the workplace …

More discrimination suits filed against Savannah police chief

03/01/2007

When it rains, it pours. Recently, 11 Los Angeles police officers filed discrimination and harassment suits against Savannah Police Chief Michael Berkow …

Chief under restraining order for harassing firefighters

03/01/2007

Loganville, Ga., has found a unique way to deal with an allegedly roguish, abrasive manager …

Banning religious jokes: Seems extreme, but it could have saved Haddonfield in court

03/01/2007

The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD) protects employees against having to work in an environment hostile to their religious beliefs or background. That means if your supervisors tolerate jokes, ribbing or other distasteful references to religious practices or stereotypes, you’re risking a lawsuit and all the expense that entails …

Landmark N.J. Ruling Adds New Reason to Monitor Internet Usage

03/01/2007

Both federal and New Jersey state statutes hold perpetrators criminally liable for the possession or viewing of child pornography. But a recent New Jersey Appellate Division decision opens the door for employers to be held civilly liable for failing to prevent these acts …

Blocking employee’s exit could be false imprisonment

03/01/2007

Do the supervisors in your organization know how to handle potentially volatile employment discussions? If they don’t use kid gloves, they could be sued personally by employees for state torts such as false imprisonment and battery …