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Discrimination / Harassment

Do you give different leave to working moms and dads?

05/04/2012
Do you sometimes grant employees “­special leave” to take care of their school-age kids? Beware if you allow special leave for mothers in your workplace, but not for fathers. One court just warned, “A company’s ‘special leave’ not grounded in law just may be discriminatory.”

Federal contractors: No action on gay-bias rule

05/04/2012
While the DOL cleared an executive order that would have made it illegal for federal contractors to discriminate against employees (or applicants) based on their sexual orientation, President Obama is not expected to sign the order, although he favors the idea.

Age bias suits: New rules on ‘reasonable factors other than age’

05/03/2012
The EEOC’s new ADEA regulations lay out several considerations to guide courts and em­­ployers and employees in determining whether factors used in deciding on a particular employment practice pass the “reasonable factors other than age” (RFOA) test.

NYC law firm settles partner’s age discrimination case

05/03/2012
Kelley Drye & Warren, a New York City law firm with more than 300 attorneys, had a policy of requiring partners who reached age 70 to relinquish equity in the firm, receiving only discretionary bonuses. Too bad for the firm that Eugene D’Ablemont knew the law …

Can USERRA form the basis of a harassment suit?

05/03/2012
A New York federal trial court has sidestepped the question of whether harassment based on military service is illegal under USERRA.

When employees are bilingual, it’s OK to require use of English in the workplace

05/03/2012

Employers can require employees to speak English at work, as long as they enforce the rule across the board. What they can’t do: Allow some employees to use one foreign language but punish others for using a third language.

Ensure training doesn’t foster discrimination

05/03/2012
If you have an internal training program designed to help em­­ployees advance their careers, make sure that it doesn’t unintentionally spur sex or other discrimination lawsuits.

When sexual harassment accusations fly, investigate and discipline right away

05/02/2012
Here’s a lesson learned from an employer that responded correctly when an employee complained about sexual harassment. Not only did it conduct a thorough investigation that helped it win a lawsuit, but it also prevented another potential sexual harassment claim when it discovered even more egregious behavior—from the original complainant himself.

Never silence a harassment case by urging complainer to resign

05/02/2012

Sexual harassment victims deserve to have their claims investigated, not ignored. Under no circumstances should you encourage a complaining employee to quit instead of having to endure continued harassment. That’s a sure indication to many juries that the worker was punished for reporting sexual harassment.

In Chicago classroom, teachable moment or racism?

05/01/2012
A white Chicago teacher was suspended for five days after he used the N-word in what he described as a “teachable moment.”