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Firing

The easy way to stop most bias lawsuits: Enforce all rules evenhandedly

12/13/2011
It’s impossible to know if a termination will lead a former employee to sue for discrimination. That’s why it’s crucial to enforce all your rules equitably. You don’t want an employee to be able to say that someone else broke the same rule without receiving harsh punishment.

Carefully track angry employee’s complaints

12/12/2011
Do you have one of those em­­ployees who are never happy and always seem to find something to complain about? It may be tempting to ignore the constant complaining or chalk it all up to personality conflicts, but that would probably be a mistake. Carefully document the tension and your response.

When employee complains about bias, take control ASAP to prevent retaliation

12/07/2011

When an employee complains about perceived discrimination, how you treat the worker can greatly affect the outcome if the case reaches court. The best approach: Handle the case professionally, at the HR function level.

Passage of time can kill retaliation claim

12/05/2011

There’s some good news for em­­ployers concerned about retaliation after an employee participates in protected activity such as testifying in another employee’s discrimination lawsuit. If a substantial amount of time has passed since the employee’s testimony, any disciplinary action you take probably won’t be enough to form the basis of a retaliation claim.

Goodyear faces lawsuit over woman’s health-related firing

12/02/2011
Akron-based Goodyear Tire & Rubber faces charges of disability discrimination at a plant in North Carolina after it terminated a woman because she suffers from a menstrual bleeding disorder, menorrhagia.

On to trial for worker advocate’s retaliation claim

12/02/2011
Employees and their lawyers are getting more creative with their lawsuits. Not content to rely on federal anti-discrimination laws, they add claims under state law, too. That increases their chances of making a claim stick.

Only truly outrageous conduct can add up to intentional infliction of emotional distress

12/02/2011
Ohio law allows individuals to sue for intentional infliction of emotional distress, including cases that arise from work-related incidents. Fortunately for ­employers, uncaring or insensitive incidents don’t qualify. The circumstances must be truly outrageous.

Log problems, improvement efforts before terminating

12/01/2011

Occasionally, you’ll run across an employee who has a hard time performing up to expectations and won’t accept suggestions to improve. If he belongs to a protected class, you may worry about a lawsuit if you terminate him. That shouldn’t be a problem if you take the time to document problems before termination.

Shared password rouses firing, lawsuit against TIAA-CREF

11/30/2011
A Texas employee of TIAA-CREF is suing the retirement fund giant after she was fired for allegedly sharing her computer password with a co-worker. In June 2011, she resigned to avoid being fired for the offense.

Don’t let FMLA request stop discipline that was already in the works

11/30/2011

Employees may think that by making a request for FMLA leave, they can stop their employer’s legitimate disciplinary actions. That’s not true. Employers that can clearly establish an independent reason for discipline seldom lose an FMLA retaliation case.