In the era of #MeToo, employers can never be too careful about educating their staff about sexual harassment. Education is prevention, and prevention is the key to avoiding this common liability. A law firm can provide preventative counsel, creating policies, procedures, and training.

Also, should there ever be an issue reported a law firm that specializes in employment discrimination can handle the post-event management, investigation, and documentation of workplace sexual discrimination and harassment.

Types of Discrimination

Of course, not all workplace incidents are of a sexual nature, and many kinds of discrimination take the following forms:

Age  

Race

Disability

Sexual orientation

Pregnancy

Veteran status

Those types of discriminations are defined as: When a person’s __________ (fill in with one of the types of discrimination listed above) becomes a factor in any decisions about whether or not a person can obtain a particular position. This is not only defined as employment discrimination, but it is also illegal and opens a company up to all sorts of lawsuits.

Retaliation – this type of discrimination happens when a person reports some type of discrimination about an employer and that employer punishes the employee.

Bullying – is defined as an act that does major harm, mentally and/or physically, to an employee by an employer or another employee.

Be Proactive

Addressing the potential for such missteps is key in protecting yourself and your company. Rather than waiting to respond to a claim, you can be proactive and enlist help from legal advisors who can help prevent claims from taking place, by putting policies and procedures in place.

For more information on how our legal guidance can protect your company from Employment Discrimination, Harassment, Retaliation & Bullying liabilities call Smith Dollar PC at (707) 522-1100 or visit us online.