Employers of all types and sizes should take note of a new study released by the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. The report, “Caregivers in the Workplace: Family Responsibilities Discrimination Litigation Update 2016,” identifies workplace trends that have led to rapid growth in lawsuits brought by employees claiming discrimination related to providing care for family members.
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Cases were brought by employees with family responsibilities that range from pregnancy to caring for children, family members with disabilities, and aging parents. The number of cases decided in the last decade more than tripled the number in the prior decade, and employees won 67% of the family responsibilities discrimination cases that went to trial.
“This report is a classic bad news/good news scenario,” said report author Cynthia Thomas Calvert, senior advisor to the Center for WorkLife Law. “The bad news is that discrimination against employees with family responsibilities is on the rise. The good news is that we are starting to pinpoint when and why it occurs, which means that we can address its root causes.”