A new article in Bloomberg details an unusual (to put it diplomatically) strategy that some male executives in the financial sector are using to avoid claims of sexual harassment:
No more dinners with female colleagues. Don’t sit next to them on flights. Book hotel rooms on different floors. Avoid one-on-one meetings.
In fact, as a
It’s been a busy month for those keeping an eye on one of the most pressing questions in employment law: whether Title VII, which prohibits sex discrimination in employment, also inherently prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity.
Last week, the US Department of Justice argued to the Supreme Court that workplace discrimination on
When I get asked about non-discrimination and harassment prevention in the workplace, a significant proportion of these questions focus on race discrimination and sexual harassment. Still, employers should be mindful of other protected characteristics under federal and state law, even if charges and lawsuits on those bases are, statistically speaking, less frequent than others.
While
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC), Pennsylvania’s leading agency that investigates and enforces Pennsylvania’s employment discrimination laws, has voted to accept complaints of discrimination from lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. Specifically, the PHRC has stated it will interpret complaints alleging workplace discrimination against LGBT individuals to fall under state law prohibiting discrimination on
The Michigan Civil Rights Commission has taken significant action to clarify that its state statute prohibiting discrimination in employment on the basis of sex (among other characteristics) extends to prohibit employment discrimination based on orientation and gender identity:
The Michigan Civil Rights Commission voted 5-0 to approve a statement legally interpreting the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights
Last week, Minnesota legislators introduced a bill to amend the definition of sexual harassment under state law. Indeed, this legislation has already received significant attention in the media throughout Minnesota. And although the bill adds only a single sentence to existing law, it has the potential to significantly reshape the legal landscape for employees who
Recently, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued an opinion with significant employment law implications. As you might recall, a panel of the Seventh Circuit issued a split 2-1 decision a few months ago, holding that Title VII’s prohibitions against sex discrimination in employment did not extend to protect employees on
Bloomberg BNA is out with a news story about a recent case filed in federal court in Georgia, which poses an interesting question: does Title VII protect an employee on the basis of his or her spouse being a member of a different race from the employee? Among the Circuit Courts of Appeals that have
Earlier this month, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced a proposal to update its guidance on employment discrimination based on national origin. The proposal, which marks the EEOC’s first update to this particular guidance in 14 years, contains important information for employers and is available for public comment until July 5, 2016.
What’s
Today the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a decision by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals that had previously held that Abercrombie could not be held liable for not accommodating an applicant who wore a head scarf to her interview but never mentioned her Muslim faith. The Tenth Circuit had accepted Abercrombie’s argument that the mere
