Subscribe by RSS
Subscribe by EmailArchive for August, 2003
Employee Hygiene Policy?
Findlaw (AP) reports: “Smelly Employee Fuels Hygiene Policy”
The policy language may be worth tucking away in case the problem arises:
“No employee shall have an odor generally offensive to others when reporting to work. An offensive body odor may result from a lack of good hygiene, from an excessive application of a fragrant aftershave or [...]
Lack of discrimination protection for independent contractors bemoaned
FindLaw commentator Julie Hilden’s column “Expanding Discrimination Law To Protect Independent Contractors” notes a large loophole in employment discrimination laws: nonprotection of independent contractors.
While she makes some plausible arguments for change, it’s hard to know where this would stop.
Some independent contractors are freelancing individuals; others are small (or not-so-small) businesses with their own [...]
Another report on changing employer policies towards gay employees
FindLaw Legal News (Reuters) reports: “More Companies Adopt Gay-Friendly Policy.”
According to a gay rights’ group’s survey of 250 companies from either the Fortune 500 or the Forbes 200 list of the nation’s biggest businesses, 95% of such employers had written policies banning sexual orientation discrimination, up from 93 percent a year ago. 70% provided domestic [...]
Pushing forward with its mediation program, EEOC announces national agreement with major employer to mediate employment disputes
For several years, the EEOC has been promoting pre-investigation mediation of employment discrimination charges, with quite impressive results. This EEOC press release highlights the agency’s latest approach — attempting to enter into national agreements with large employers to mediate all discrimination charges.
Early mediation with the EEOC is certainly worth considering in many cases, but has [...]
Sexual harassment claim rejected despite serious allegations
In Durkin v. City of Chicago (7th Cir. 8/22/03), the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the granting of summary judgment for the employer in a case involving allegations of rather disgusting and inexcusable conduct by city police officers involved in training the plaintiff.
Allegations included: 1) one firearms instructor repeatedly yelled obscenities at the plaintiff [...]
