Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Seems like managers would have gotten the message about sexual harassment, but many are still confused. Here are the facts about some of the most prevalent myths, taken from BLR’s Total Training Resource: Sexual Harassment. Myth–Harassment is something supervisors do to subordinates. Fact–Any employee can commit sexual harassment, including supervisors, subordinates to supervisors, and co-workers. […]
Well-written harassment complaint procedures and policies often make the difference between a successful defense and big-dollar settlements and judgments, says today’s expert. Tom O’Day, an attorney with the Milwaukee office of Godfrey & Kahn, S.C., says a recent case showed that an inadequate harassment complaint mechanism exposes employers to liability. Burger King Manager Won’t Stop […]
We’re encountering challenging disability accommodation situations because of differences in California and federal law. Is the California definition of “disability” always going to be more favorable to employees than federal law? I also don’t understand why whether a person has a disability is determined under California law without considering mitigating measures. If a person is […]
We have an “aggressive” employee who seems to make her co-workers uncomfortable by loudly criticizing them; we think we have a bully on our staff. Is workplace bullying illegal? Do you have any tips for us to recognize and prevent bullying at work? Thanks. — Sara R., Oakland Bullying exists on school playgrounds, but […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, we looked at definitions of many common terms in the confusing world of gender discrimination. Today, some tips for avoiding the lawsuits that come in all these varieties. There’s bad news on the gender discrimination front for employers: When cases do go before a jury, judgments have skyrocketed. For example, in 1991 […]
Sex discrimination used to seem simple (or so it appeared) but it has morphed into a miasma of complexity—transexuality, gender identity, gay, straight, transgender. What do these terms mean? How are they used? Here’s what you need to know: Before you begin talking sexual harassment to supervisors, employees, or lawyers, you need to get your […]
Let’s face it. We’re living in a society that’s fascinated, if not obsessed, with the private lives of other people. As much as you may want to deny it, you know you’ve looked at the National Enquirer more than once — even if it was just while you were waiting in the grocery store checkout […]
by Margaret DiBianca Politics isn’t a career for the thin-skinned. “Getting the goods” on one’s opponent often seems like a strategic tactic. Candidates who engage in that “strategy” look for harmful information, and then, when the time is right, maybe at a rally or mid-debate, the goods are slung like mud in the general direction […]
Yesterday’s Advisor talked about one of the dumbest, yet most prevalent, management actions—retaliation. Today, let’s talk about how to prevent it. Let’s admit it—nothing feels as good as planning retaliation. And nothing can make you feel as bad if you actually go through with it. So what can you do to stop managers from acting […]
Yesterday’s Advisor gave tips for preventing harassment. But there’s always the lingering question, What’s harassment and what isn’t? In many cases of harassment, the question is where the line lies between permitted and forbidden actions. In fact, the law maintains that harassment is really defined by the victim—it doesn’t matter what the harasser’s intentions are—it’s […]