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Discrimination / Harassment

When fired employee complains to EEOC, be sure to monitor all subsequent filings

10/09/2018
Employees who expect to be disciplined or fired sometimes go on the offensive by filing an EEOC complaint. You shouldn’t be intimidated—as long as you are convinced the discipline is legitimate and you have clear documentation of poor performance or misbehavior.

Before you fire, audit past practices to ensure there’s no pattern of bias

10/09/2018
If a supervisor recommends firing an employee for inappropriate conduct or other disciplinary reasons, conduct a quick audit of past discharges before pulling the termination trigger.

UT pays $600,000 to settle coach’s race & sex bias suit

10/09/2018
A race and gender discrimination lawsuit against the University of Texas that lasted five years has been settled for $600,000.

How to handle requests for religious time off

10/09/2018
It’s perfectly legitimate to require employees to request religious leave well in advance. If you have a process to ask for time off for other kinds of leave, use it for handling requests for religious leave, too.

Have a plan for harassers in the C-Suite

10/04/2018
HR professionals usually know how to handle co-worker or supervisor sexual harassment. But what if the alleged harasser sits high up the company chain of command?

EEOC lawsuit filings surged in last 12 months

10/04/2018
The EEOC is filing lawsuits at a rate that far surpasses the last four years, and sexual harassment lawsuits are causing much of the surge.

Joint employers pay $300K to settle harassment complaints

10/03/2018
An Imperial County, California organic vegetable grower and its labor contractor have agreed to settle EEOC charges that a supervisor sexually harassed and retaliated against four women who worked on the farm.

Check layoff rationale for signs of hidden discrimination

10/03/2018
A layoff based on legitimate business reasons can still form the basis for a retaliation claim if the layoff decision was based on ulterior motives.

Document why you decided to hire candidate

10/03/2018
A simple truth: Any candidate who doesn’t get a job might sue, alleging some form of discrimination. It’s best to simply assume that, at some point, you will have to explain to a judge exactly why the applicant you picked was the best person for the job.

Supreme Court starts new term with age discrimination case

10/02/2018
At issue in Mount Lemmon Fire District v. Guido is whether the Age Discrimination in Employment Act applies to state and local government agencies with fewer than 20 employees.