Suppose you work in your company’s Human Resources Department. An employee complains to you about her boss. Specifically, she tells you that her boss asked her about her sex life. Even more specifically, he asks her if she’s ever been with an older man. She strongly suspects he is hitting on her, and that her […]
We Don’t Tolerate Harassment…
“(Company) does not tolerate harassment, discrimination or retaliation. We have strong policies and practices against harassment, discrimination and retaliation and provide regular training on those policies and practices. We encourage employees to report issues immediately. We investigate those issues thoroughly.” Has your company ever issued such a statement? How much will that statement protect it […]
Furloughs Aren’t Illegal, Are They?
Suppose you find your company is affected by the pandemic and resulting economic downturn. You decide to furlough some of your employees. You inform them of their impending furlough. You hope that you can now focus on staying afloat until the economy improves. Could the furloughs themselves cause you other problems? What if your employees […]
A White Doctor Can’t Sue for Discrimination? Why Not?
A doctor works as part of the medical staff at a hospital. The doctor, who is white, feels s/he has been the target of racial discrimination. The doctor complains about the alleged discrimination, after which the hospital initiates a peer review of the doctor’s more recent surgeries. The doctor allegedly has had no patient complaints […]
Beyond Hiring and Firing: What (Else) the Supreme Court’s Decision Means for LGBTQ Rights at Work
Last week I posted about the US Supreme Court case, Bostock v Clayton, County, Georgia, specifically the ruling itself and the underlying reasoning. You can read that post here if you missed it. The 3 consolidated cases that prompted the ruling all involved the firing of an employee based either on their sexual orientation or […]