Recently Congress passed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021, with the President expected to sign the Act into law. The law amends the Federal Arbitration Act making predispute arbitration agreements dealing with sexual harassment or assault between employers and employees invalid and unenforceable. While employers and employees can… Read More »
Covid-19 Screening for Employees Heading Back to Work
As Covid-19 infections continue to drop nationwide, many employees will return to their workplaces after working remotely for nearly a year. To plan for a return to work, the EEOC has advised that employers may ask employees to undergo Covid-19 screening if it is job related and consistent with business necessity. According to the EEOC,… Read More »
Online Retailer Sued for Workplace Discrimination
According to a report from Iowa Public Radio, a popular online retailer has come under fire from a senior manager who is suing the company for alleged racial and gender discrimination. The employee alleges her ordeal began when the popular online retailer hired her at a lower level than she was qualified – a practice… Read More »
Job Protection for Expectant Moms
Last month the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 2694, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) to eliminate discrimination and promote women’s health and economic security by ensuring reasonable accommodations to workers limited by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related condition. If passed by the Senate and signed into law, the PWFA would supplement the accommodation… Read More »
Employment Discrimination in Targeted Social Media Job Ads
Employment discrimination in the digital age is on the rise with some companies engaging in discriminatory practices in advertising of job opportunities by targeting job adverting to a limited online audience. In fact, a group of recent EEOC rulings found reasonable cause to conclude that more than a handful of employers have used social media… Read More »
Poll Reveals Workplace Sexual Harassment Abundant
A new poll conducted by the Wall Street Journal and NBC reveals that 48% of women surveyed have experienced sexual harassment at work. Near as many men admit that they have personally witnessed women being harassed. The vast majority of respondents, which included 900 adults, believe that sexual harassment takes place in most or almost… Read More »
Documenting Workplace Harassment or Discrimination
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII defines a hostile work environment to include situations where a person is harassed or discriminated against based on their sex, race, religion, national origin, age or disability. The law is not meant to protect against mere teasing or isolated situations that are not serious, but rather pervasive… Read More »
Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace
Unfortunately, many women in the United States are discriminated against when they are looking for work because they are expecting a child or an employer fears they will become pregnant after being hired. Some women are treated unfairly by their current employer due to pregnancy concerns also. Pregnancy discrimination is against the law. It occurs… Read More »
Sexual Orientation Discrimination on the Job
While three federal appeals courts are considering whether Title VII’s sex discrimination ban prohibits bias based on sexual orientation, the complaints continue to roll in. Recently, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed another sex discrimination complaint, this time on behalf of a driver of an oil rig company who said he was repeatedly subjected to… Read More »
Workplace Harassment Persists According to EEOC
According to the findings of a recent EEOC task force, workplace harassment remains a persistent problem. Of the 90,000 charges received by the EEOC in 2015, one third included allegations of workplace harassment including charges of unlawful harassment on the basis of sex. Unfortunately, much of the time sex-based harassment goes unreported. Victims often try… Read More »