Age discrimination in the workplace is common. Most people have a sense of this, but the tactics used by employers are rarely direct or systematic. One exception might be IBM, which was more systematic than most with its "resource actions" designed to terminate older,...
Fighting false Title IX accusations in academia
Imagine being a professor or instructor at a college or university who has devoted years and years to academic excellence through teaching, writing, researching and mentoring in his or her chosen field. Imagine next what it would be like to lose everything --...
Pregnancy discrimination: Words versus deeds
Sexual harassment in the workplace has been the topic of the last year. Another troublesome niche in workplace gender inequality still gets less attention: it is subtle to overt pregnancy discrimination. As a short-term disability, the months of pregnancy require...
Defining national origin discrimination
If you work for an employer with more than 15 employees, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination related to your birthplace, culture, linguistic characteristics or accent. Smaller employers with between 4 and 14 employees cannot discriminate on...
Less familiar discrimination women face in the workplace
Most employment law issues concerning females tend to focus on overt, prevalent behaviors, such as sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination and too little pay. These are the stories that make the news most often. Yet they are not the only ways in which women face...
How to document sexual harassment in the workplace
Last month, the #hashtag “me too” went viral. Stories never before shared were finally out in the open. The spectrum of sexual harassment is broad and many incidents have happened in offices and on work floors across the nation. What are the types of sexual harassment...
Pros and cons of deferred compensation plans
To attract top talent more mid-size companies have started offering deferred compensation plan to CEOs, COOs and directors. Individual circumstances and future goals will influence whether to defer or not. Compensation and benefits are significant terms in an offer...
Can your employment agreement require individual arbitration?
Found in the fine print of a contract that you probably signed shortly before you started work or on your first day, could be an arbitration clause. These have recently proliferated. In the employment context, collective actions have long allowed you and co-workers to...
How to keep a false accusation from ruining a career
In the world of Google, all it takes is one false accusation to ruin a healthcare professional’s career. An investigation by a licensing board, for example the Michigan Board of nursing, is also more likely to show up online. You can take every effort to avoid...
Depression, anxiety, PTSD: Discrimination based on mental illness
Even though one in five Americans struggle with mental health issues each year, negative stereotypes persist and those who struggle receive little compassion. Many people hide these struggles from employers. The response of one employer to a request for mental health...
