Seyfarth Synopsis: Summertime is here. That time of year when wildflowers cover the landscape, birds are singing, and summer love is in the air—and that air may just drift into the workplace. And while a budding relationship seems innocent enough, the thorny reality of potential harassment, quid pro quo, hostile work environment, and other claims stemming from the demise
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You’ve Got An Internal Sexual Harassment Complaint: Now What?
Seyfarth Synopsis: It is important for companies to investigate internal sexual harassment complaints and take prompt, appropriate corrective action. This post provides a six-step roadmap of best practices for handling sexual harassment complaints.
1. Plan Ahead
- Maintain compliant harassment policies, provide regular harassment training covering all required topics (Seyfarth can help), and communicate the procedure for
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Treating Employees To Halloween Fun Can Be Tricky
Seyfarth Synopsis: Halloween is lurking just around the corner, and workplace festivities may present unusual challenges. Unsafe or offensive costumes, religious discrimination, and harassment are among the issues potentially facing employers around this time of year. Here are some tips to avoid the tricks and enjoy the treats.
Exorcise Your Right to Have Fun
It’s not uncommon to allow employees
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Defamation: Containing Fire and Fury in the Deep Blue State
Seyfarth Synopsis: As Californians grow tragically familiar with wildfire, California employers face another threat of fire in the form of defamation lawsuits. The rapidly burning #MeToo anti-harassment movement, and constant talk in the news about peoples’ reputations being destroyed, has rained down fire and fury for California employers forced to consider possible defamation lawsuits by current or former employees.
Stoking
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The Stale Harassment Complaint: Coal In Your Stocking?
Seyfarth Synopsis: The natural inclination is to ignore attempts to dredge up claims of harassment that happened long ago. But no harassment claim is too old to investigate. Having strong anti-harassment policies and investigation procedures, along with a good work culture, can help employers avoid getting caught in the cross-fire of the “me-too” harassment dialogue.
The #MeToo movement has enveloped
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Avoid Paying The Piper: Tune Your Startup to Avoid Harassment Claims
Seyfarth Synopsis: Heeding some lessons from HBO’s “Silicon Valley” can help employers avoid mistakes related to potential hostile work environments and discrimination that might occur in a startup environment.
In a world where life often imitates art, startups can avoid perceived gender bias and sexual harassment in the workplace by learning from the pitfalls of the socially awkward
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