Articles by Rachel Ablin, Esq.
False Claims in the Workplace: How to Handle Them
When an employee alleges discrimination or harassment in the workplace the employer is legally required to act swiftly and efficiently to try and determine if the claim has merit. If evidence is uncovered that supports the allegations an employer’s legal obligations are relatively clear; however, what should an employer do when there is no evidence to support the allegations?
10 Things to Do When Investigating a Complaint
Anytime an employee makes a workplace complaint, that complaint should be taken seriously and acted on without delay. In fact, a number of federal and state laws require an employer to conduct an immediate investigation. Just as no two complaints are ever identical, neither are any two investigations carried out in exactly the same manner. Nevertheless, there are some common steps that should be taken when investigating all workplace complaints.
Types of Unconscious Bias that Could Impede Your Investigation
Here, we take a deep look at 12 types of unconscious bias in order to better understand how they may impede your workplace investigations.
Diversity at Work: Gen Z
For Generation Z, a diverse workforce may be the most important factor when they are job hunting.
Implicit Bias in Investigations
By definition, a workplace investigation should be an unbiased search for the facts of what happened. In reality, people who conduct investigations are susceptible to both conscious and unconscious bias. Better awareness of how your implicit bias could impact a workplace investigation is crucial to furthering your goal of uncovering the facts.
Investigating Claims of Race and Sex Discrimination
Employers have a legal obligation to investigate claims involving a variety of different types of alleged discrimination in the workplace. Given recent events, claims of race and sex discrimination in the workplace are making headlines. If you are faced with a claim of race or sex discrimination, it is imperative that you understand the law and know how to respond.
Common “Virtual” Workplace Investigation Mistakes
In the United States, the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way many businesses operate by forcing them to transition to a virtual workforce. Many experts believe that this temporary shift will become a permanent one, even after the economy re-opens. Having to manage a predominantly virtual workforce comes with benefits and challenges, and figuring out how to conduct “virtual” workplace investigations, without making serious mistakes, is one of those challenges.
Sexual Harassment Training Guidance for Illinois Businesses
As news of COVID-19 dominates headlines, the Illinois Department of Human Rights came out with its much awaited training guidance for Illinois employers who are now required to provide annual sexual harassment prevention training to all employees starting this year (2020).
What Changes Has the EEOC Made Because of COVID-19?
The coronavirus shutdown has caused drastic changes to the country’s workplaces, but the laws prohibiting employment discrimination are still in effect. Even though the EEOC’s physical offices are closed, its employees continue to work remotely, and the Commission is still enforcing the law.
Assessing Credibility While Conducting Phone or Video Interviews
If a client’s employee has alleged workplace harassment, discrimination, or misconduct, the investigation needs to start as quickly as possible. If you wait too long, people’s memories of what happened can become more unreliable, and witnesses may no longer be available. EEOC guidance on harassment specifically requires that investigations be “prompt” and that if “a fact-finding investigation is necessary, it should be launched immediately.”