Harassment
Male Sex Stereotyping: Going Where No Man Has Gone Before
If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or receive my updates by Twitter, IM, or email. Thanks for visiting!
The following guest post is by attorney Ellen Simon, who has been listed as one of The Best Lawyers in America for her landmark work representing individuals in precedent-setting cases. Ellen [...]
Is Workplace Bullying Cause for Concern?
When Bullies Grow Up
What happens to playground bullies who grow up to be workplace bullies? And what happens to the companies where they work?
This is the focus of an article entitled “Workplace Bullying Suits on the Horizon.”
Successful Bullying Lawsuit and Proposed Legislation
According to the article, a workplace bully was forced to pay $325,000 after [...]
Halloween in the Workplace? It Depends…
Halloween Will Soon Be Upon Us — Are You Prepared?
In addition to personally getting ready for Trick or Treating or costume parties with friends, a 2007 Halloween-practices survey by vault.com found that employees at an increasing number of companies are getting into the holiday as well.
Of course, the type of celebration will vary by workplace. [...]
Bulletproofing Employment Investigations
This post on workplace investigations that hold up to scrutiny emphasizes the importance of vertical and horizontal consistency and reasonableness in the investigation of allegations of workplace misconduct, such as harassment.
Firemen’s Dog Food Prank Could Cost City Millions
A black LA firefighter filed a racial discrimination suit after his coworkers “secretly laced his spaghetti with dog food.”
He said in court documents that the dog food incident “was part of a pattern of incidents” at the fire station “that were done to dehumanize black men.”
But “firefighters called it a prank and city [...]
Lessons from an EEOC Wall Street harassment lawsuit
The other day, out of the blue, I got a call from Jon Jacobs, a writer for eFinancialCareers, a financial services industry job site. Jon asked me if I had heard about a case recently filed by the EEOC against Merrill Lynch.
Undeterred by my confession of ignorance, he proceeded to tell me about it [...]
9 Tips to Beat the Heat and Look Professional: Women
At many offices across the country, today is Casual Friday. If you’re wearing a company polo and a nice pair of khakis, or something even fancier, pat yourself on the back. If you’re wearing a halter top and other people can see your back, read this article twice–unless you’re working from your own [...]
EEOC Files Suit Over Racial Slurs; George Learns a New One (To Not Use)
The EEOC has filed a lawsuit alleging that a a supervisor at a medical clinic in California used the word “reggin” (”nigger” spelled backwards) and other coded derogatory words when referring to a black file clerk.
The suit is for a racially hostile work environment (a/k/a racial harassment) and retaliation.
”Even though the n-word is backward, [...]
Why Harassment Training is Essential & Must Go Beyond Sexual Harassment
A few employment law fundamentals:
Harassment based on race or other protected characteristics is analyzed legally under the same standards as sexual harassment.
Offensive graffiti targeting employees because of their race, sex, or other protected characteristic, if sufficiently severe or pervasive, may rise to the level of an unlawful hostile work environment.
To have a shot at avoiding [...]
When Bullying Becomes A Case of Sexual Harassment
Don’t get too comfortable too quickly when there is bullying in your workplace.
I’ve often gotten the impression that companies can relax when the bully doesn’t appear to be intending to discriminate against women (or men for that matter).
What seems to often be assumed is that as long as the manager or supervisor is [...]
How Not to Respond to a Harassment Complaint
This one’s a beaut!
Of course, these are only allegations. On the other hand, the EEOC apparently is litigating the case, suggesting there may be something to it.
A federal lawsuit claims that female employees of a suburban Chicago bar were sexually harassed by managers.
Posh Hotel Settles English-Only Lawsuit
In a recent lawsuit, a posh hotel (it doesn’t say which one) has agreed to settle a lawsuit in which 13 Hispanic workers were forced out from their jobs for speaking Spanish while at work. The agreement includes some interesting features, such as
How Can This Not Be Actionable Sexual Harassment?
Those unfamiliar with principles of sexual harassment liability may be shocked that the allegations of seemingly outrageous harassment in a recent case didn’t allow the plaintiff to avoid summary judgment and proceed to trial, if not prevail at trial.
The news report from which I obtained the information about this case did not explain the grounds [...]
Still Curious About That Employee-Spanking Case? Of Course You Are!
Highlighting why it is a leading HR publication, Workforce Management presents the story of the employee “spanking” case, providing more details and analysis on this “major corporate black eye” case than the sources we cited in these earlier posts on this Blawg :
“How NOT To Do Employee Training: Spanking Trainees”
“Get Spanked by your Employer, Win [...]
More Damages in Spanking Case!
On Friday, the jury in the “spanking” case we discussed here and here awarded $1.2 million in punitive damages.
This is on top of $10,000 for economic loss, $40,000 for future medical costs and $450,000 for emotional distress, pain and suffering, says the LA Times.
