Tagged: anti-harassment policy
When one thinks of the law, one often thinks of hard and fast rules. Employers cannot fire employees for a discriminatory or a retaliatory reason. Employees must be paid at least minimum wage. And so on. The law governing hostile work environment claims in the United States, however, is not so easily defined and applied. At first glance, the elements of a hostile work environment sexual harassment claim seem definite enough. In order to prove a claim for hostile work environment sexual harassment, a plaintiff has to prove that he or she has been subject to behavior that is: Sexual in nature or directed at an individual solely because of his or her...
The United States isn’t the only country addressing its history of gender inequality, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment. However, the United States is having its own unique experience in doing so. For U.S. employers, the current focus on these issues poses challenges, but also opportunities to address problems of diversity and harassment in the workplace. Non-U.S. companies looking to hire employees in the United States should be aware of the issues facing U.S. employers and be prepared to address them. One major change in the U.S. workplace resulting from the #MeToo movement is that employees who allege sexual harassment are far more likely to be believed. According to a November 2017 Quinnipiac University...
Harassment has been in the news a lot lately in the United States, with several high-profile terminations at well-known companies. Companies are losing millions of dollars, not just in settlements and verdicts, but in lost customers and bad publicity. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, is the administrative agency responsible for enforcing laws prohibiting workplace harassment in the United States. The EEOC has issued new guidance suggesting that conventional anti-harassment training isn’t enough. So what is an employer to do? Maintaining an effective harassment reporting procedure is simple, but not always easy. Often, it means a willingness by the company to put its money where its mouth is. This involves taking the...
