Discrimination / Harassment

When bias goes companywide, class-action lawsuits will follow

02/01/2002

Two recent rulings illustrate how more workers are seeking, and winning, class-action status in charges of companywide discrimination. Case 1. In December, a federal court in Illinois paved the way …

Don’t be tempted by corporate ministry services

02/01/2002

Q. Since Sept. 11 and due to the economic doldrums, some of our employees have not been the same emotionally. We’ve tried to be patient and understanding, but they seem to need something else. We’ve heard that some companies are contracting with corporate ministry services. Is this practice legal or advisable? —S.S., Virginia

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 …