Tag: diversity

Hate Crimes Fell 15 Percent in 2009

According to the 2009 Hate Crime Statistics report released by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, the number of hate crimes reported in 2009 fell about 15% from the previous year. Participating local law enforcement agencies reported a total of 6,604 incidents — down from 7,783 reported incidents in 2008 — involving 7,789 offenses as […]

Disability Etiquette: A Primer

The Disability Access Office in San Antonio, Texas, has published The Disability Etiquette Handbook. The handbook, which is on the web, covers a variety of issues. We thought we’d give you a sample. Reception Etiquette Greeting someone with a disability often makes a person without a disability awkward and uncomfortable. That doesn’t make you a […]

DOL Launches Veterans Hiring Toolkit

In August, U.S. combat troops left Iraq, and President Barack Obama has said the military will start pulling troops from Afghanistan in July 2011. With this steady stream of military veterans coming back, inevitably some will end up in your application pools. Previously, we have discussed why hiring veterans makes sense. Now, the U.S. Department […]

Ninth Circuit Reinstates Male Worker’s Harassment Claim

A federal trial court in Nevada apparently couldn’t believe that a woman’s sexual overtures to a male coworker would ever be unwelcome and rejected the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) attempt to file a harassment suit on his behalf. But in a recent decision, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Alaska, Arizona, […]

Veterans Day: November 11, 2010

On Thursday, November 11, Americans honored those who have served in the military. It was originally known as  “Armistice Day” and  celebrated first on November 11, 1919 — the first anniversary of the end of World War I. In 1926, Congress passed a resolution to make it an annual observance, and it became a national […]

ODEP: Diversity Includes Workers With Disabilities

In 1945, Congress declared the first week in October “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” In 1962, the word “physically” was removed in acknowledgment of individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to “National Disability Employment Awareness Month” (NDEAM). This year, the Office […]

Millions of Older Workers in Physically Demanding Jobs

Hard Work? Patterns in Physically Demanding Labor Among Older Workers, a study from the Center for Economic and Policy Research, examines the population of older workers and how raising the retirement age affects those in jobs with difficult working conditions. The study notes that high physical demands are a major reason for “early labor-market exit […]

Safety Trumps Religion: Third Circuit Upholds Ban on Headscarves

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) recently upheld the district court’s decision to dismiss a complaint by three Muslim prison workers who were prohibited from wearing headwear at work. Facts Three female employees at GEO Group, Inc., a private company that was contracted to run the George W. […]

Disabled Americans in the Workplace

Here are some facts from the U.S. Census Bureau about disabled Americans and how they are represented in the workplace: In America, there are 54 million people with disabilities. That represents 19% of the civilian noninstitutionalized population. Five percent of children ages 5 to 17 have disabilities; 10% of people 18 to 64 have disabilities; […]

Nine Years Later: Religion and National Origin in the Workplace

For a week, the nation’s news reporters were captivated by a Florida preacher’s plans to burn the Quran on the anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Although he ultimately backed down, his campaign and the heated debates and protests over planned mosques near ground zero and in other parts of the country have drawn […]