EEOC Suspends Issuance of Right-to-Sue Notices; Employers Need to Understand the Underlying Message.
There are two primary messages employers need to know regarding the EEOC suspension of case closed and right-to-sue notices.
A Young Worker’s Look at Company Culture
Written by Amanda G. Kassis The 2019 EEOC numbers regarding workplace discrimination charges were recently released and show a 5% decrease from 2018. This is a promising improvement but don’t be so quick to let your guard down. We have a long way to go. The EEOC still reports [READ MORE ...]
Maggie’s Story
I recently had the pleasure to meet a wonderful woman who has spent the majority of her career putting programs and processes in place in higher education that allowed women an equal opportunity education. What I love about her story is the fact that an unlikely hero made a [READ MORE ...]
EEOC 2017 Litigation Data Shows Nearly $400M in Settlements.
On January 25th, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released their Fiscal Year 2017 Enforcement and Litigation Data Report. Although the numbers are a bit lower than in 2016, the message is still clear. Employers must put more effort into prevention. The EEOC reported 695,000 complaints called in reporting [READ MORE ...]
It’s HR Budget Planning Time!!!
Many of the HR professionals we talk to begin their budget planning for next year in September. And we want to help! We understand that projects such as budgeting, open enrollment, and performance reviews are time consuming. And the regular, everyday work performed by HR doesn't stop when a [READ MORE ...]
HR Manager Personally Liable: A Real Fear for HR Professionals
Personal liability is nothing new to HR professionals. Since 2012, it has been very clear that both managers and HR employees can be held personally liable for retaliatory measures related to discrimination and harassment claims. This information is generally included in our Discrimination and Sexual Harassment training. But in [READ MORE ...]
Chills Happen When We See Who We Really Are.
I rarely refer to a post from another blogger, but Suzanne Lucas @RealEvilHRLady really nailed this one. I encourage you to read her post and watch the video. Yes, it's a Heineken beer commercial from the UK, the but I guarantee it will change your thoughts for a day, [READ MORE ...]
Isn’t Reverse Discrimination Actually Just Discrimination?
On December 15, 2016, The California Court of Appeal ruled to reverse a sexual orientation discrimination claim, allowing the case to now proceed to trial. In Hardy vs. Watts Healthcare Corp., Hardy alleged that her supervisor treated gay men, men in general and lesbians more favorably than heterosexual women, [READ MORE ...]
Can Your Company Afford $22,500 in Lost Productivity…Per Employee?
Over the weekend, I came across an interesting article in the Harvard Business Review titled, Why We Fail to Report Sexual Harassment. The article addressed the fact that despite employer efforts to train staff and investigate complaints, the majority of employees affected by harassment, whether victims or bystanders, do [READ MORE ...]
5 Reasons to use technology for your workplace investigations.
No one likes conducting workplace investigations. Not Managers or HR Professionals, not attorneys, not even most Private investigators. Why? Because they take a great deal of time and resources. Both human and financial resources. There is always a bit of fear involved. Fear of saying something wrong and creating [READ MORE ...]
The Top 10 Investigation Challenges: Part 9, Getting the budget and buy-in from the Executive Team.
What if an employee informed you that he is constantly being asked to spend “personal time” with a manger from another department? You know you have to conduct an investigation, right? But before you begin, you must receive cooperation from your boss, be it the General Manager, VP of [READ MORE ...]
Try InvestiPro for your next workplace investigation and get 40% off for the next 40 days!
Summer is prime time for company outings and picnics. It's a great time for employees and their families to let loose and have some fun. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon to have employee behavior cross the line. Don't fret, InvestiPro is here to simplify your workplace investigations. For the next [READ MORE ...]
The Who, What, When, Where and Why of Workplace Investigations.
Almost 80% of the questions Googled pertaining to harassment and discrimination investigations begin with one of the five “W”s. When I saw this, I decided that a quick review might be in order. To cover all of the bases, we will also include the “How”. So let’s get right [READ MORE ...]
Political discussions may lead to discrimination in the workplace.
Immigration is a hot topic right now in the race toward the presidential election. I’m sure you have seen it all over social media, and everyone seems to have an opinion. While employees are allowed to have their own opinions on the matter, they must be restricted from bringing [READ MORE ...]
The EEOC finds that Harassment Training is not working.
As many HR professionals have known for some time, harassment training alone is not effective in changing behaviors in the workplace. Without enforcement by management, employees do not see the need to change the status quo. The EEOC Task Force findings shared yesterday at the 2016 Annual SHRM Conference [READ MORE ...]
Top 10 Investigation Challenges – Part 5; The investigation, when your witness won’t speak.
There is such as thing as constructive silence….and then there is just silence. Unfortunately some employees believe that they are protecting themselves, or their co-workers, if they simply refuse to answer any questions in a workplace investigation. But the law does not allow employers to simply state that they [READ MORE ...]
Top 10 Investigation Challenges – Part 1 When an employee says…I don’t want you to do anything, I just thought you should know.
If you ask any HR professional who has been responsible for employee relations, the majority of them will tell you they have had a conversation that started with this phrase. (I don't want you to do anything, I just thought you should know). Your response is very important, but [READ MORE ...]
The 10 Most Common Complaint and Workplace Investigation Challenges
Welcome to the new series! Although there are many books, white papers, seminars, etc. on the topic of conducting workplace investigations, these generally are learning tools to tech the process and the legal requirements behind the investigation. However, as any seasoned HR professional will tell you, there are things [READ MORE ...]
Sexual Harassment claims are so “yesterday’s news”!
When talking to friends, colleagues and business owners about this blog, many of them stated that they felt Sexual Harassment and other Discrimination claims are not as prevalent in the workplace as they used to be. With the required training and awareness, everyone is more careful. I hate to [READ MORE ...]
This Really Happened; From bad to good.
Early in my HR career, I had one of those mornings. You know, the ones where you come in to work feeling optimistic. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and you just know it is going to be a great day. I was sitting at my desk [READ MORE ...]