Concerned about sexual harassment charges, employers are wary of cupid’s arrow this Valentine’s Day and some of them are turning to “Love Contracts” or in lawyer terms – a Consensual Relationship Agreement. A Consensual Relationship Agreement is an effort to … Continue reading
With over one billion active Facebook users and 500,000,000+ Twitter accounts, it is no surprise that the discovery of messages, status updates, wall posts, tweets and pictures shared on social media has become a battle ground in sexual harassment and … Continue reading
How do lawyers who represent employees decide which of the employees who contact them to represent? According to Nina Pirrotti, an attorney with Garrison, Levin-Epstein, Richardson, Fitzgerald & Pirrotti, P.C., one of her “first lines of inquiry in evaluating a … Continue reading
I spoke this week at the HR Star Conference here in Atlanta and at the conference had a great discussion with some HR professionals on the importance of conducting fair, unbiased and professional workplace investigations. One of the HR managers … Continue reading
The recent reinstatement of a $3.5 million award of punitive damages by the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit highlighted the importance of responding promptly, thoroughly and fairly to employee complaints of harassment, even where the harassers … Continue reading
In reflecting on the proper role of confidentiality in workplace investigations following the Banner Estrella Medical Center NLRB decision, I am reminded of the fundamental principle all medical students are taught – “First, do no harm.” This principle is a … Continue reading
The $3.5 million jury verdict last week in favor of a former lifeguard at a swimming pool in Washington D.C. is a striking example of why organizations need to consider procedural fairness in how they respond to complaints in the … Continue reading
It seems that at least some offices of the EEOC may be adopting the position that employers are in violation of Title VII if they have policies that warn employees who participate in an internal investigation that they could be … Continue reading