Articles Posted in Discrimination and Unlawful Harassment

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ICYMI, President Trump has issued an Executive Order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” This order aims to eliminate illegal discrimination and preferences based on race and sex in federal policies and practices, with significant implications for private businesses. Here’s what human resources professionals, employment lawyers, and business owners need to know about it: Continue reading

Seal of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Yesterday, President Trump appointed Andrea Lucas as the Acting Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), signaling notable changes for the agency tasked with enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws in the workplace. Lucas brings a clear set of priorities to address workplace discrimination. Here’s what HR professionals, employment lawyers, and business owners should know about them

1. Rights of Individuals > Group Outcomes

Lucas advocates for balanced enforcement of employment civil rights laws. She believes the EEOC’s role is to protect the rights of individuals, not to measure justice by group outcomes. This approach emphasizes that civil rights laws should be applied equally to everyone, regardless of their background. “I intend to dispel the notion that only the ‘right sort of’ charging party is welcome through our doors,” said Lucas.

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Last night, I read an Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision in which the court tackled the tricky terrain of retaliatory harassment and termination claims under Title VII. The former is not something I encounter too often, and there was enough “there there” in this case to send the claim of retaliatory harassment to a jury. Continue reading

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The complexities of the interactive process in disability accommodation requests can trip up even the most experienced HR professionals, especially because no two situations are alike. However, there is an immutable rule: an employee’s voluntary withdrawal from the interactive process and failure to provide the requested medical documentation show a lack of good faith. And lack of good faith spells doom for a failure-to-accommodate claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Continue reading

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Imagine you’re at school, and there’s a teacher who always picks on you, blames you for things you didn’t do, and makes you feel terrible in front of your classmates. You might think, “This is so unfair! I want to tell someone and make it stop!” Well, grown-ups at work can feel the same way when their boss or coworkers mistreat them. But, like in school, not every mean thing a teacher or classmate does is against the rules. Sometimes, it must be really bad for the grown-ups to get help from the law. Continue reading

“Doing What’s Right – Not Just What’s Legal”
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