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The Employer Handbook Blog

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Why intent doesn’t matter when a white guy gifts watermelon to his black co-workers. Or does it?

The Evil HR Lady, Suzanne Lucas, beat me to it. On Tuesday, Suzanne wrote here about a volunteer firefighter, who is white. And that white firefighter brought a watermelon to the fire station as a gift for his co-workers. According to this Fox 2 report, 90 percent of his co-workers are…

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Local union throws flag on Dallas Cowboys’ owner’s threat to bench players who disrespect the U.S. flag

Humility is not my middle name. Actually, it’s “Hercules.” (It’s not Hercules). But, it’s not “Humility” either and I rarely turn down the opportunity to say, “I told you so.” So, remember when I told you a few weeks ago how NFL owners would have a tough time legally firing…

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Jemele Hill suspended for violating social media rules. No, not even ESPN Talent has free speech rights.

ESPN pays the National Football League nearly $2 billion annual for digital rights. Two billion dollars! With so much at stake, that’s an investment worth protecting. A few years ago, former ESPN personality Bill Simmons found that out the hard way. He was suspended by the network for his incendiary…

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I’m telling you. Bad things happen when the Board Chair plays matchmaker for her son, the CEO.

Over the weekend, I was reading this recent opinion from a federal judge in Maryland and, with a big smile on my face, I started polishing up my blogging crown and scepter. Allen v. TV One, LLC is a case about a woman who alleges that she was constantly pestered by the Board…

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Jeff Sessions and the DOJ pull the rug out from under transgender workers.

Back in July of this year, the U.S. Department of Justice officially revealed its position that nothing would prevent an employer from discriminating against a gay worker before of his sexual orientation. On that very same day, President Donald Trump tweeted that the military should ban transgender people from serving. Fast…

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Watching porn at work doesn’t necessarily create a hostile work environment for others.

Is this prurient blog title a convenient excuse to play a J. Geils Band tune on the blog? Maybe. But, still I’ll toss in a side of HR-compliance. Let’s take a trip to our nation’s capital, Washington, DC. Sharon Stewart works for the Federal Communications Commission. She sued the FCC…

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Does the ADA protect an individual who uses prescription drugs to battle addiction to illegal drugs?

  As the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s fiscal year comes to a close, the agency has filed a slew of discrimination lawsuits. One that caught my eye involves an employer that allegedly rescinded an offer of employment once it found out that the individual was using prescription drugs to treat…

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The power of diversity, dignity, and respect over discrimination #MondayMotivation

Oh, do I have some Monday Motivation for you! Last Friday, I spoke at an HR conference about the EEOC’s latest enforcement trends. Part of the discussion addressed stereotyping. That’s because the 2017-2021 Strategic Enforcement Plan for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission focused on addressing discrimination based on employees’ perceptions of others.…