Tag: diversity

Defense of wage discrimination claims for the present and beyond

by Jason R. Mau Over the last three years, members of Congress have attempted to amend the Equal Pay Act (EPA) to improve and ensure its protection of individuals subject to pay discrimination on the basis of gender. Originally approved in January 2009 by the House of Representatives, the Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA) failed to […]

EEOC has a banner year

by Edward Sisson The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was very busy in fiscal year (FY) 2012. The agency reported that it finished the year with record-high monetary recoveries for victims of discrimination. Historic monetary recoveries The EEOC issued its first Performance and Accountability Report compiled under the standards of its new Strategic Plan, which […]

Women Mentoring Women

Thomasina Tafur, a former FedEx senior manager who is now the president of Thomasina Tafur Consulting (www.thomasinatafur.com), which offers HR executives advice on positioning females for leadership roles, offers these tips for you to consider when offering a women mentor program: Conduct a needs assessment. Determine what upper management expects from the mentor program and […]

Give Employees the Gift of Financial Training

One way to afford the expense of providing financial training, says Liz Davidson, CEO of Financial Finesse, Inc. (www.financialfinesse.com) is to use your 401(k) plan’s ERISA account. This account is sometimes used to pay for plan expenses and sometimes refunded to participants. As long as the financial education is targeted toward retirement, using the ERISA […]

Employees on the autism spectrum: guidance for employers

by Tammy Binford Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) – a group of developmental disabilities that can cause social, communication, and behavioral challenges – affect one in 88 children and one in 54 boys, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That makes autism the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the United States, […]

When world events hit the workplace

by Mark Schickman Statistics from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission show that charges of discrimination based on religion and national origin are the fastest growing categories in the past decade. Of course, that coincides with the aftermath of 9/11 and, rational or not, American anger and suspicions over Middle Eastern Arab communities. This shift in […]

EEOC offers website and guidance for young workers

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Youth@Work program is designed to educate working-age young people about their rights and responsibilities in the workplace and how they can protect themselves against illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. The program consists of three main components:  the Youth@Work web site, free outreach events, and partnerships with business leaders, […]

Words are powerful things: racism and hostile work environments

by Brinton Wilkins Humans are unique in their use of words. With them, we explain the world around us, share our thoughts and feelings, teach, and define ourselves. Therefore, it should be no surprise that words also can injure. Trying to excuse words by saying “I didn’t mean to hurt anybody” or “Everyone says that” […]

Survey looks at the difference in work styles of younger, older workers

Online job website CareerBuilder conducted a national survey between May 14 and June 4, polling more than 3,800 full-time workers and more than 2,200 hiring managers across industries and functions. Managers and workers ages 25 to 34 and managers and workers 55 and older were surveyed to get a picture of how the styles of […]

The Best Harassment Prevention Prescription is to Train, Train, Train

[Go here for 1 to 5] 6. A superior blocks a promotion for a subordinate who has firmly stated that the superior’s sexual remarks were unwelcome. This is another example of potential tangible employment action harassment. Of course, the superior can argue that he or she blocked the promotion for a good business reason, but […]