HR Outsourcing News Roundup: Harassment and Discrimination Edition

By Mickey Matran / October 9, 2014 / Uncategorized No Comments

Every workplace should be a fair, safe place for employees to come and do their jobs. People should be hired, and then promoted or fired, based on their performance alone. They should be able to do their jobs without worrying about physical, sexual or emotional harassment. In the real world, though, that’s not always the case.

Employees face discrimination based on their race, age, gender and religion. Bullies can make work miserable. Unwanted sexual advances can make employees feel uncomfortable and undervalued. All these types of harassment and discrimination are not only bad for morale at your office, but also can lead to expensive lawsuits and fines.

This week’s HR Outsourcing News Roundup brings you articles and blog posts with advice and information about recognizing — and stopping or preventing — harassment and discrimination in the workplace.

Supreme Court to Hear Religious Bias Case Involving Hijab. SHRM: “The U.S. Supreme Court decided Oct. 2, 2014, to consider whether retailer Abercrombie & Fitch discriminated against a woman who was denied a job because her Muslim headscarf, known as a hijab, conflicted with the company’s dress code (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, No. 14-86). The justices agreed to review a decision of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in which it held that the clothing store’s rejection of the applicant was not discrimination because she never revealed that she wore the headscarf for religious reasons and that she needed an accommodation.”

Group: Sexual Harassment Rampant in Restaurants. USA Today: “The report, which calls sexual harassment ‘endemic to the restaurant industry,’ comes as low-wage restaurant workers increasingly are pushing for better pay and improved rights in an industry that employs about 11 million workers. Over the past year, worker and union organizer momentum has grown for a $15 minimum wage for fast-food workers.”

Can Crosses on Holiday Party Invitations Create a Hostile Work Environment? The Employer Handbook: “Notably, the court underscored that, while ‘some traditional symbols of Christmas, such as the Christmas tree or perhaps a poinsettia plant, have arguably assumed a primarily secular significance in modern society,’ not so much when it comes to crosses on the holiday party invitations, and a song about ‘Christ our Lord.’”

U.S. Government Lawsuits Target Transgender Discrimination in Workplace. Reuters: “‘This will be a wakeup call to employers that they should take another look at their practices,’ Robert Weisberg, an EEOC attorney who helped bring the case in Miami, said in an interview. ‘Victims of transgender discrimination will become more aware there is a legal recourse.’ The EEOC enforces federal laws against employment discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex and nationality under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.”

Are You Sure You Have No Bullies? Bamboo HR: “Most of the time, office bullying is emotional. That’s why you probably can’t see it. Like an employee being singled out or blamed, excluded from activities or even having lunch with the team. It can even take on the appearance of joking and having fun at the expense of an employee that goes too far.”

If you have questions about developing fair policies and preventing potential harassment and discrimination at your organization, contact us. We’re here to help.

HR Solutions is a human resources outsourcing firm based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We eliminate human resources headaches for businesses with 10 to 1,000 employees by handling their payroll, employee benefits, regulatory compliance and other staffing needs. Contact us to learn how we can streamline your company’s human resources function to save money and reduce risk.

 

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