If an employee files a discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and you fire her shortly thereafter, you run the risk of also being accused of retaliation.  What if you fire the exployee’s fiancee?  Can he accuse you of retaliation and file his own charge with the EEOC?
According to the Sixth Circuit Court […]

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There’s a recent article in the Columbus Dispatch about a sexual harassment matter that some would say is all too common.  In other words, this sort of thing happens every day–not only the alleged sexual harassment but the way it was handled or not handled.  Whether the underlying complaint is true or not, the article is an interesting […]

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Another thing raised by this week’s cartoon is the issue of language in the workplace–specifically whether an employer can have an English-only rule for a workplace. Until the U. S. Supreme Court decides this issue, we won’t know the answer. There is, however, no shortage of opinions on this issue.
Not surprisingly, the Equal Employment Opportunity […]

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The U. S. Supreme Court has decided another one of its employment cases.  This one (Federal Express v. Holowecki) does provide somewhat more excitement than the one it decided yesterday.  Although Fed Ex loses this case filed under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Court settles a long-standing question with a bit more clarity than was present in yesterday’s decision (although […]

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When the controversy arose in the golf world about the use of the word lynch and a magazine cover with a noose on it, people commenting on the matter seemed to fall into three camps: (1) some were outraged; (2) some didn’t seem to understand what the big deal was; and (3) some (most I think) were […]

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The Washington Post reports today that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is bent out of shape about the federal government’s declining hiring rate of disabled employees.  The EEOC is looking into this situation.  One wonders if the EEOC might also turn its attention to the private sector.
The Post article serves as a reminder that all […]

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Jon Hyman provides clarification on the new Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rule referred to in one of my previous posts today.  He also provides a copy of the actual rule as well as Q&A from the EEOC.  Check out his blog.

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According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, employers can distinguish between retiree health benefits for people below age 65 and above age 65.  In fact, the EEOC says employers don’t have to provide retiree health benefits at all to individuals above age 65 who are eligible for Medicare.  Check out an article in today’s Times.
The EEOC’s […]

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Religious discrimination gets less attention than any other kind of discrimination.  There just have never been as many lawsuits involving religion as there have been involving race, sex, national orgin, age and disability.  But religious discrimination is still against the law, and there can be some tricky questions when it comes to this subject. 
Q: Can an employee […]

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In this week’s Tip of the Week, I asked whether you’re the language police in your company or organization. The answer is yes, and you just never know how far you’ll have to go with your policing duties. For example, you may be called upon to police an employee who plays or sings rap lyrics […]

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