Archive for February, 2004

Some tips on performance reviews

Thursday, February 26th, 2004

From the perspective of defending employment termination and discrimination cases, I have become aware of the importance of employee evaluations. Done poorly, they can be great ammo for a plaintiff’s lawyer:

Q. Now Mr. Manager, you testified that during the last year of his employment my client was the subject of numerous customer complaints, [...]

George Lenard on General |

"Pee-phobia" (paruresis) and drug testing

Thursday, February 26th, 2004

Interesting guest column in the Post-Dispatch I just read at lunchtime: “Fairness vs. phobias”

By Steven Soifer, Executive Director of the International Paruresis Association, the article discusses persons who are psychologically unable to give a urine sample during a random drug test.

Sound crazy? Yes. But it happens more frequently than people realize, and not [...]

George Lenard on General |

Jobless claims up slightly, but there is some good news too

Thursday, February 26th, 2004

CNN/Money reports: “Jobless claims edge up to 350,000 in latest week”

New unemployment claims were reported at 350,000, compared with 344,000 the prior week.

The four-week moving average is up slightly as well, to 354,750 from 352,000 the prior week.

The good news?

Continued claims — those of people out of work for a week or more [...]

George Lenard on General |

Racism alive and well in Missouri

Thursday, February 26th, 2004

CNN reports from St. Louis: “Firing of teacher over racial comment upheld”

A Missouri appeals court upheld the firing of a teacher who told her eighth-grade class she opposed interracial marriage and believed such couples should be “fixed” to prevent them from having children. . . .

Her attorneys argued her reported classroom comments were constitutionally protected [...]

George Lenard on General |

Statement to EEOC admissible on plaintiff’s credibility

Thursday, February 26th, 2004

In Weyers v. Lear Operations Corp., No. 02-3732 (8th Cir. 2/24/04), an age discrimination case, the Eighth Circuit held that was prejudicial error to preclude the employer from impeaching the plaintiff with her prior sworn statements to the EEOC. Inconsistencies between these statements and her trial testimony were directly relevant to her credibility.

Two points:

First, [...]

George Lenard on General |

George’s Employment Blawg is Digg proof thanks to caching by WP Super Cache!