According to Jury Verdict Research, in Horsham, Pa., the probability of an employee winning a discrimination case increased from 45 percent in 1994 to 72 percent in 1999. This is prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. To be covered by Title VII, a company must have 15 or more employees. Class certification brief due July 13. Trial briefs due April 10, 2002.
Plaintiffs seek discovery of e-mail records as evidence.
Boulette says managers need to look beyond the protected characteristic to the actual business necessity of the job. A common scenario involves a fired employee and an inadequate manager who has not advised the employee about his or her poor performance or has not given that employee a chance to improve, Boulette says. However, Boulette says, a joke told every day that targets one specific class of people or a single racial assault makes for a hostile work environment. Take steps to prevent discrimination First and foremost, Boulette advises that companies adopt, enforce, and train employees on a nondiscrimination policy that prohibits more than the law does. Don't ask managers to interpret the law.