Race Category Archives — Page 17 of 23 — The Employer Handbook Blog Published by Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Employment Lawyer

It’s the last thing you want to hear at your employee-client’s deposition

April 20, 2017 | by Eric B. Meyer

Attachment-1-2

Yesterday, at approximately 5:18 PM EDT, all of the associates at my law firm received the same email. It was from one of my partners, encouraging them to sign up to receive daily updates to this blog via email.

“You will learn something from him nearly every day of the week,” wrote my partner.

So, let’s see if we can teach them something — something, other than Eric knows how to make one hella-creepy selfie saltbae gif.
Continue reading

Skip the vodka, but consider some other bar rules for your workplace.

March 21, 2017 | by Eric B. Meyer

A few weeks ago, a reader emailed me and asked if I would weigh in on how businesses should address employees talking about politics at work.

On the one hand, in the private sector, there are no First Amendment Rights. Free speech is a big myth. ( I suppose that the National Labor Relations Act could muddy the waters a bit; but, for this post, let’s pretend it doesn’t). And there’s practically nothing that would prevent a private employer from clamping down on employee discussions about politics at work.

On the other hand, an employer could violate bar rules and condone political speech. However, that could lead to problems for the employer, as in bad press or a lawsuit.

Racials slurs, shotgun threats, but no why no hostile work environment?

February 15, 2017 | by Eric B. Meyer

It’s deja vu all over again.

This right here is why you train your managers to take all complaints of harassment seriously.

February 14, 2017 | by Eric B. Meyer

When I conduct anti-harassment training for supervisors, one of the points I stress is that all complaints of harassment and discrimination — no matter how minor — must be taken seriously.

Why?

Our day at Epcot: Food, characters and, yes, an employment-law lesson

January 6, 2017 | by Eric B. Meyer

View this post on Instagram

Octopus 🐙 appetizer for the kid? Yes, please 😘// #epcot🌐 #epcotcenter #epcot #disneyworld

A post shared by Eric B. Meyer (@eric_b_meyer) on Jan 5, 2017 at 3:44pm PST

Remember Hank the Septopus from Disney’s Finding Dory? I found his missing tentacle. And, my son ate it!

Let’s hear it for the boy!

Racist code names for customers are bad. And, so is firing someone for complaining about it.

December 28, 2016 | by Eric B. Meyer

These are the key allegations underpinning ***Googles “underpinning”*** yes, underpinning a complaint filed in California against luxury retailer Versace.

Bad things often happen when employees feel they have to resort to self-help

November 30, 2016 | by Eric B. Meyer

Like one-man bands.

Or, retaliation lawsuits, for example.

Company tried to “sprinkle a little salt” on its worksite; pays $50K to the EEOC.

November 18, 2016 | by Eric B. Meyer

Are you guys old enough to remember that old NFL Films Dial ‘M’ For Moron bit? What can I say? I’m a sucker for the classics.

Well, it’s all I could think of after reading this EEOC press release, highlighting a recent race discrimination and retaliation action against a car dealership because it did the equivalent of Dial ‘M’ For Moron.

Cut your hair, Mattingly!

September 26, 2016 | by Eric B. Meyer

On Saturday, I ran — and I use that term, “ran,” generously — my first Spartan Race.

Maybe, the better past-tense verb is “completed.” But, I’ll take it.

Soon, all employers may be forbidden from asking about a job applicant’s salary history

September 12, 2016 | by Eric B. Meyer

Last month, Massachusetts passed a new law, which will take effect in July 2018, and make it illegal for employers to ask about a job applicant’s salary history before making an offer of employment. As Stacy Cowley at The New York Times reports (here), the impetus for the new law is to reduce the wage gap between men and women:

By barring companies from asking prospective employees how much they earned at their last jobs, Massachusetts will ensure that the historically lower wages and salaries assigned to women and minorities do not follow them for their entire careers. Companies tend to set salaries for new hires using their previous pay as a base line.

Now, three members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, the first woman to chair the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), plan to introduce similar legislation federally.