Employers have an obligation to make sure employees know what kind of performance is expected of them. Under no circumstances should you wait until you’re ready to discharge the employee to put criticism in writing. That creates the suspicion that you came up with reasons as a cover for illegal discrimination.
Discrimination and Harassment
Discrimination and harassment claims often increase in a down economy. Learn the proper techniques for conducing proper workplace harassment investigations, providing sexual harassment training, and more to reduce claims of employment discrimination and preventing sexual harassment in the workplace.
New, official EEOC guidance reinforces the commission’s view that using criminal histories to screen out job applicants can violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by having a disparate impact on minorities.
If you have an internal training program designed to help employees advance their careers, make sure that it doesn’t unintentionally spur sex or other discrimination lawsuits.
A Taco Bell franchisee in Fayetteville has agreed to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit filed by the EEOC. The commission sued last year on behalf of an employee who had worked at the restaurant for six years before the length of his hair became an issue.
Employers that are prepared to offer cold, hard facts to defend their decisions—even those that may look suspicious at first glance—rarely lose lawsuits. The more objective the business reasons you have for personnel decisions, the better off you are.
Some employees are nothing but trouble. They complain constantly, and even gripes that might have some merit are often exaggerated. However, you must think twice before you summarily terminate such an employee. Reason: You could be falling straight into a retaliation trap. Treat such toxic workers with care.
Retail giant Dollar General faces a retaliation suit after it fired two workers from its store in Marion.
A white Chicago teacher was suspended for five days after he used the N-word in what he described as a “teachable moment.”
Here’s a valuable tip when discharging an employee: Don’t make promises you can’t keep. It can lead to years of needless litigation and cost thousands of dollars in legal fees even if you win in the end.
FedEx Ground has agreed to pay $3 million to resolve allegations by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) that the company’s hiring practices were discriminatory.
