Category: Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion (D&I) is an important and ongoing strategy of any HR plan. Ensuring that your company supports hiring, engaging, and retaining diverse workers with varied backgrounds will set your company up for long-term success and an increased bottom line. This topic offers the latest strategies for talent management, key insights from diversity leaders, case studies on D&I in the workplace, and more.

EEOC Issues “Arrest and Conviction Records” Guidance

By Richard Lehr During the past several years, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has increased its focus on employers’ use of background check information, particularly arrest and conviction records. On April 25, the EEOC issued its revised “Enforcement Guidance on Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII of the […]

Disability Charges and Enforcement on the Rise

Since the enactment of the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) in 2009, commentators have been predicting a rise in disability claims. Statistics recently released by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) show that those predictions have come true. In fiscal year 2011, the number of disability discrimination charges filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) […]

EEOC Declares that Title VII Protects Transgender Employees

By Heather Knox The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency that interprets and enforces employment discrimination laws, recently considered whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects transgender employees from workplace discrimination. The case involved an employee who claimed she wasn’t hired by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and […]

Veterans Soldiering On Through Tough Job Market

By Tammy Binford The recession has been discouraging to job seekers of all stripes – those with advanced degrees as well as those without higher education, those in specialized fields and those looking for just any kind of work. Certainly job seekers transitioning out of the military aren’t immune to the difficulties posed by the […]

Clash of the Sash: Miss Universe and Transgender Bias

By Kylie Crawford TenBrook Recently, Jenna Talackova was disqualified from the Miss Universe contest for allegedly lying about her gender on her entry form. Talackova, who was born with male genitalia but underwent a sex-change operation, indicated on the form that she is female. (Seriously, if an operation can make someone look like that, I’m […]

Thou Shalt Not Unreasonably Question Employees’ Religious Beliefs

By Mark G. Jeffries Q: If an employee asks for time off based on her religious beliefs, can I legally question her about her religion (e.g., what her religion is and why she needs time off)? A: Yes, you may question an employee about her religious beliefs if you have an objective basis for questioning […]

Pepsi Pays $3M to Settle Race Case Based on Background Check Policy

By Jennifer Melton On January 11, 2012, Pepsi Beverages Company agreed to pay more than $3 million to resolve race discrimination claims filed in 2006 by more than 300 African American job applicants. The claims alleged that the company’s criminal background check policy (1) disproportionately excluded African Americans from employment with Pepsi and (2) violated […]

Parents of Special Needs Kids Finding Support at Work

Last month, Diversity Insight writer Tammy Binford explored the legal issues involved when employees must juggle work and special-needs parenting collide. Now, she looks at how employers can help their employees balance work and their obligations as parents of special needs children. By Tammy Binford  Parents of children with special needs often look for support […]

Religion in the Workplace: A Delicate Balance

By Keith Moorman With the steady flow of news putting religious issues in the spotlight, it’s a good time to review the requirements regarding religion in the workplace. Religion and Private Employers Although the U.S. Constitution prohibits governments from interfering with the free exercise of religion, it doesn’t dictate how a private employer must deal […]