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3 elements of an effective employment handbook

Employment handbooks should protect employers. “An employee handbook provides communication; it helps you to comply with the law; [and] it provides consistency – it allows you to treat all employees in a consistent manner.” Andrea Paris explained in a recent CER webinar: These are the 3 C’s of an effective employment handbook: communication, compliance, and […]

When the Offender Becomes the Plaintiff

Faced with racially motivated workplace killings, reporters from ABC’s Primetime Live sniffing around your facility, and a spate of race discrimination lawsuits, cracking down on racial harassment might be a good thing, right? Maybe so in some utopian world of rationality and logic, but we live and work “down the rabbit hole.” In our world, […]

It’s All About Respect

As workplaces become more diverse, the need for co-workers to show respect for each other grows. This new program may help build it at your organization. A recent Daily Advisor article talked about maintaining worker respect for management authority. That’s one of two kinds of respect in a workplace. The other, equally important, is respect […]

The Case for Diversity

This edition of The Oswald Letter is a guest post from Elizabeth Petersen, Project Director for Simplify Compliance. While few American businesses self-report on diversity data, workplace discrimination and inclusion are near-daily topics in the media.

Plaintiff’s Attorney Fined for Withholding Evidence in ADA Suit

An employee’s attorney must pay $5,000 for omitting important information in an Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled. In Kempter v. Michigan Bell Telephone Co. , No. 13-1036 (6th Cir. Aug. 26, 2013), the plaintiff’s attorney failed to mention that that his client, Cathie Kempter, had been permanently restricted […]

job description

Appeals Court Case Discusses Role of Job Description in ADA Claims

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted in 1990 to prevent discrimination against employees based on disabilities. This does not mean that employers violate the ADA if they terminate or refuse to hire employees with disabilities. Rather, the law provides an exception if the employee is unable to perform the essential functions of the job without […]