Two prior blogs have addressed the recently updated 2019 Department of Justice Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Program criteria. Department prosecutors use these criteria to assess an organization’s commitment to implementing and operating a compliance program when an organization comes before the Department, principally facing prosecution. Among the chief factors that these criteria focus on is […]
On August 29, 2018 Delaware became the latest state to enact legislation requiring employers to train employees on the prevention of sexual harassment when Governor John Carney signed SB 360 into law. Like California’s AB1825, SB 360 requires larger employers (those employing over 50 employees) to provide training on the prevention of sexual harassment. This […]
In April 2018 New York State and New York City enacted sweeping changes to sexual harassment laws in New York. The changes were enacted in response to the #MeToo movement and came with a variety of questions for employers throughout the state. New York State employers with 15 or more employees required to train all employees. […]
The #MeToo movement grew exponentially due to the availability of the internet as an avenue for victims of harassment to express their protest of bad acts and actors in the workplace. Like any internet phenomenon, the movement has spawned a backlash against training programs provided to employees (and perceptions about the reasons training is actually […]
In the latest example of “keeping up with the Joneses,” last week Vermont passed new legislation aimed at reducing (and publicizing) incidents of sexual harassment in the workplace. Similar to laws passed in many other states in the wake of the #MeToo movement, Vermont’s new law guarantees independent contractors, volunteers, and interns a working environment […]
5th and Wine, a Scottsdale, Arizona wine bar recently faced claims of sexual orientation harassment and retaliation. According to the complaint, the bar did nothing to stop alleged harassment against two servers, which include name calling, inappropriate touching and sexually based comments. Specifically, the two servers alleged that they were harassed based on a perception […]
As reporting on suspected wrongdoing reaches historic highs, 2017 saw a 100 percent increase in retaliation claims. The 2018 Global Business Ethics Survey uncovered this shocking statistic. Driving the higher numbers are social and demographic trends, along with expanded employment laws at the state and federal levels that provide expanded protection of employees against retaliation. […]
The past week has seen the harassment landscape in New York State change forever, as Governor Cuomo signed into law the New York State Legislature’s anti-harassment budget. Not to be outdone, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to sign into law the “NYC Act,” which will amend New York City human rights […]
Even within the same industry, organizations can have radically different cultures. There are norms, both tacit and explicit, that address how colleagues interact, how management communicates with employees, and how customers are treated. In terms of ethics, some companies pay lip service to ethical behavior, while others walk the walk. For long-term success and to […]
On March 1, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held in Zarda v. Altitude Express, Inc. that sexual orientation discrimination violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This is the second such decision in the last year, with the Seventh Circuit reaching the same conclusion in 2017. The […]
