When you think of gender discrimination, you most likely imagine a powerful man in a three-piece suit looking down on his female secretary. Or maybe you think of the hostile work environment created when pornography is found on the factory floor. But what about when...
Starting a business is hard for anyone. Entrepreneurs looking for start-up capital often face uphill battles convincing investors that their product or service is worth the risk. But sexual harassment in lending makes it even harder for women entrepreneurs to get from...
The definition of a worker is changing. As contract jobs become more common and the “gig economy” grows, more New Yorkers are finding themselves working, but not technically employees. Does this new status mean they lose out on the workplace protections of the state’s Human Rights Law? Or are there rules about the sexual harassment of independent contractors in the…
Disabilities come in all shapes, sizes, and severity. Sometimes accommodating for an employee’s disability requires special equipment or a flexible schedule. Other times, all that is needed is a chair. But employers sometimes refuse even the simplest requests, leading some workers to wonder if your employer can deny you a chair as a disability accommodation. In this blog post, I…
Distributing nude pictures of coworkers may be one of the most humiliating things a person can do to a fellow employee. Yet, the media has made news out of celebrities’ nude images going viral. That has prompted angry ex-partners to engage in “revenge porn” that hurts...
Not all sexual harassment involves sex. Unwanted comments and physical attention can make the workplace an uncomfortable place to be. When these seemingly minor offenses pile up and make a hostile work environment, it can leave you wondering, “Is hugging sexual harassment?” In this blog post I will discuss whether hugging is sexual harassment. I will review reports of Pixar…
When your workplace has an environment of sexual harassment it can feel like no one is listening to your complaints and there’s nothing you can do. An anonymous survey that swept through Nike revealed the company’s focus on athletes had created a locker room mentality. The environment of sexual harassment at Nike drove women away and caused supervisors to ignore…
Increasingly, complaints of workplace discrimination or harassment are settling out of court. Whether through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC’s) mediation process, or as the result of negotiations by private employment discrimination attorneys, these cases often result in settlement agreements, rather than judgments. But what happens after everyone signs on to a discrimination-based settlement agreement? What are your options to…
If you decide to come out at work, can your employer fire you for being transgender? Does it matter if your boss is a Christian? The Sixth Circuit Court says no and no. A religious objection doesn’t overrule transgender discrimination protections under Title VII. In...
Teacher-and-student relationships are one of the most frequent pairings in the media to portray sexual harassment and bullying. In real life, when a professor or dean of a law school targets his employees and students, even a Title IX complaint often isn’t enough to...