Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Has texting grown up enough to become a corporate communications tool? Are your employees using their company-provided phone, PDA, or smartphone to send text messages? HR professionals, IT leaders, and other executives are pondering the above questions at the moment. Text messaging is becoming more mainstream. Workers who came to maturity in the age of […]
by Sam R. Fulkerson The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced in January that 93,277 workplace discrimination charges were filed nationwide during 2009 — the second-highest level ever — and monetary relief obtained for victims totaled more than $376 million. The 2009 data show that private-sector job bias charges alleging discrimination based on disability, religion, […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, attorney Rebecca Speer dissected "he said/she said" investigations. Today we’ll get her take on how many witnesses to interview, and we’ll take a look at a program to help you with your investigation policies (and all your other policies). Deciding whom to interview, and how many people to interview, involves a careful […]
There’s not much trickier than investigating "he said/she said" accusations. The key to dealing with these situations, says attorney Rebecca Speer, is to do everything reasonably in your power to uncover "corroborating evidence," that is, information that would support the complainant’s—or the accused’s—version of events. "In my experience," Speer says, "Even the most starkly seeming […]
by Rita M. McKinney Supervisors can be an employer’s frontline of protection against costly discrimination claims — if they’re armed with the right information and training. Here are 11 important things every supervisor needs to know. Basic Training for Supervisors – easy-to-read guides to avoid legal hazards, covering more than 17 areas of supervisor training […]
By Alix Herber Canada’s two largest provinces — Ontario and Quebec — now have laws requiring employers to seek to provide workplaces free of “harassment.” No longer limited to human rights-related harassment, the term is broadly defined in these laws. Further, Ontario’s new law extends beyond harassment. It, like the federal law, also will require […]
Harassment training is always tricky—Discuss the behaviors of harassing managers, and you may be creating an uncomfortable environment just with your training. Here are a few scenarios that should get discussions going without offending. The scenarios below are from training programs in the BLR® Employee Training Center. Gayla’s Dress is “Provocative” Gayla G’s job took […]
Four men and a woman are at an out-of-town sales meeting. The men decide to go to a strip club, but because they don’t want to be guilty of harassment, they don’t invite the woman. "And they are right, there is no harassment, but there is discrimination," says Attorney Jonathan Segal. Or take a similar […]
What about supervisors asking subordinates for dates? “It’s not recommended, in fact, it’s the most dangerous action in the workplace,” says Attorney Jonathan Segal. Segal’s remarks came as part of his “Harassment Quiz” at SHRM’s recent Annual Convention and Exposition in New Orleans. Segal is a partner in the Philadelphia office of law firm Duane […]
by Amy M. McLaughlin In part one of this article, we discussed the increase in the number of discrimination charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against private-sector employers since 2006. In 2006, the EEOC saw it’s first increase in charge filings in four years. By 2008, the number of discrimination claims filed […]