DEFENDING MANAGEMENT

By Robert G. Chadwick, Jr., Managing Member, Seltzer, Chadwick, Soefje & Ladik, PLLC.

Last week, millions watched the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings with Dr. Christine Blasely Ford and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The hearings were reminiscent of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings in 1991 with Anita Hill and then Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas.

To be sure, the Senate hearings were radically different from sexual harassment investigations routinely conducted at workplaces across the country. The challenges presented at the hearings nevertheless provide important lessons for employers. As most employers already know, the stakes in such investigations are (1) employee well-being and productivity, (2) employee turnover, and (3) potential legal exposure under federal, state and local employment laws.

Take All Reports of Sexual Harassment Seriously

Upon receipt by an employer, a report of sexual harassment may immediately appear to be of questionable credibility. Such questionable credibility may be due to (1) the age of the conduct reported, (2) an ulterior motivation by the alleged victim or other employees, (3) memory gaps, or (4) the absence of corroborating witnesses or other evidence.

There are inherent risks for an employer, however, in a rush to judgment as to a questionable report of harassment. First, the report may prove to have more credibility with further investigation. It is more prudent that the employer to conduct such an investigation than a government agency or plaintiff’s counsel.

Second, the report may be part of a greater sexual harassment problem which exists at the employer. An investigation of the report may be the only means of promptly addressing the greater problem, before it becomes worse.

Finally, the manner in which an employer handles a report of sexual harassment can encourage or discourage future reports of harassment by the alleged victim and other employees.  An employee who feels discouraged from reporting harassment may opt to (1) withhold information thereby allowing a bad situation to become worse, (2) quit, or (3) report such harassment in the form of a charge of discrimination or lawsuit.

Mitigation of these risks thus dictates that all reports of sexual harassment be taken seriously.

Take the Time Needed

Since federal and state employment discrimination laws mandate that prompt remedial action be taken by an employer in response to a report of sexual harassment, a sense of urgency must exist in any investigation. The danger of an artificial deadline, at the expense of a more thorough investigation, however, is that the employer will deprived of information necessary to mitigate the risks associated with sexual harassment.

Completeness is thus always a more prudent goal than expediency in any sexual harassment investigation.

Be Thorough

There are certainly times when an investigation presents hurdles for an employer. Such hurdles include (1) less than cooperative witnesses, (2) unreliable memories, and (3) witnesses represented by legal counsel.

Without reasonable efforts to be thorough, however, a sexual harassment investigation is vulnerable to a claims of bias.  The goal of an employer, therefore, should be reasonably diligent efforts to obtain any relevant information regardless of its evidentiary value.

Be Objective During Investigation

At the outset of a sexual harassment investigation, an employer may be predisposed to believe the accuser or the accused. The reasons for such predispositions include (1) prior dealings with the accuser or accused, (2) the relative values to the employer of the accuser and accused, (3) fear of litigation, and (4) the predominant gender of the employer’s leadership.

A less than partial investigation of a report of sexual harassment, however, can undercut rather than support an employer’s defense to a claim of discrimination or retaliation. An employer must thus be proactive in making sure the investigation is objective.  This means taking steps to (1) neutralize any predispositions during the investigation, (2) ensure that the investigation looks for all relevant information regardless of whether the information supports the accuser or accused, (3) evaluate objectively information learned during the investigation, and (4) otherwise preserve the integrity of the investigation.

Be Objective After Investigation

After an impartial investigation is concluded, the employer still risks legal action for discrimination and retaliation by (1) openly commenting on the credibility or motivation of the accuser, (2) openly commenting on the hardship suffered by the accused and the accused’s family, (3) leaking information learned during the investigation, or (4) lamenting the time and resources spent on the investigation.

Prompt remedial action in response to a report of sexual harassment does not mean that the employer must necessarily take a side. Such action need only be limited to remedial steps, which generally do not entail attacks on the accuser or accused.   

By Robert G. Chadwick, Jr, Managing Member, Seltzer, Chadwick, Soefje & Ladik, PLLC.

For the past several years, studies have debated the benefits and detriments of open offices as viable working spaces. One of the benefits touted by open plan proponents is the deterrence of employee misconduct, such as sexual harassment, that privacy often enables.

Even in an open office, however, the risk of sexual harassment persists, albeit in forms unique to the work environment. The absence of walls and barriers may even provide more, not less opportunities for subtle forms of harassment. After all, open floor plans are specifically designed to facilitate close interaction among employees.  

A new study entitled “Doing gender in the ‘new office’” published in the journal Gender, Work and Organization, for instance, shows that open areas may subject female employees to increased leering or staring by male employees, and more comments regarding their personal appearance.

Other risks of an open layout include looming, crowding, brushing and stalking. Seemingly innocuous gestures, words and phrases by employees may actually have sexual connotations.

The formation of employee cliques is also a danger of an open office. Employees huddled together and whispering and giggling may seem innocent to some, but may actually be perceived by others as a form of harassment.

The more open an office environment, moreover, the greater the threat of ostracization of an employee or group of employees. Ostracization can be a powerful form of harassment or retaliation for a complaint of harassment. Fear of ostracization can also deter complaints of harassment.

In some respects, an open office environment may even be more hostile to an employee than a traditional office environment. Without walls or barriers, the employee is constantly sensitive to the surroundings. With no office or cubicle to which the employee can retreat, the affect of harassment can be constant throughout the work day.      

In implementing strategies for combating sexual harassment, employers must thus be mindful of the unique risks presented by an open office. Harassment and retaliation policies and training should address not only overt forms of harassment, but also subtle forms of harassment. Supervisors should be trained to detect and redress subtle forms of harassment. Employees should have private avenues for reporting harassment without fear of retaliation. Without a strategy tailored to an open office environment, the employer risks poor work performance, attrition and legal liability.

By Robert G. Chadwick, Jr, Managing Member, Seltzer Chadwick Soefje & Ladik, PLLC.

The cancellation of the ABC comedy series Roseanne in the wake of allegedly racist tweets by the show’s star, Roseanne Barr, is undoubtedly a hot topic of debate across America. On one side of the debate are those who subscribe to the view ABC did the right thing. On the other side of the debate are those who believe ABC acted precipitously.

So, why should such debates be avoided in the workplace?  The simple answer is the debates may be cited as part of a charge or lawsuit alleging race discrimination or harassment under Title VII of the Civil Rights of 1964 (“Title VII”), the Civil Rights Act of 1866 or state or local law.

To illustrate this point, consider the debate which continues today regarding the 1995 murder trial of O.J. Simpson. Workplace remarks stemming from such debate are still cited as evidence in cases alleging race discrimination or harassment in employment. In Chattman v. Toho Tanex America, Inc., 686 F.3d 339 (6th Cir. 2012), for example, the claim that a human resources manager was racially biased included a joke as to O.J. Simpson’s innocence. A racially-charged disagreement as to the O.J. Simpson verdict was also at the heart of a race discrimination claim in Campbell v. Hamilton County, 2001 WL 1322785 (6th Cir. Oct. 17, 2001).  

Other racially-charged debates have been referenced in race discrimination cases. In David v. Trugreen Partnership, Ltd., 1999 WL 288686 (N.D. Tex. May 5, 1999), it was a debate regarding the trial of police officers who had allegedly beaten Rodney King. In Neal v. Whole Foods Market Company, Inc.,  2018 WL 2219362 (E.D.La. May 15, 2018), it was a discussion regarding Bill Cosby’s alleged sexual misconduct.

To be sure, not all remarks made during a racially-charged debate will support a claim of race bias. As many employers already know, however, even frivolous lawsuits cost money to defend.

Especially as to a newsworthy racially-charged debate, such as the cancellation of Roseanne, the urge to take a side can be overwhelming.  Where the debate spills into the workplace, however, the risk to an employer is a costly claim or litigation.  Employer inaction or acquiescence only increases this risk.

Prudent risk management thus dictates that an employer include debates rooted in race amongst prohibited activities in the workplace. Better yet, such a prohibition should be part of the employer’s discrimination and harassment training program.

Photo credit:  Stand-Up Sucks, LLC

By Robert G. Chadwick, Jr., Seltzer Chadwick Soefje & Ladik, PLLC.

Last week, two black men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks allegedly for trespassing. In the aftermath of the arrests, accusations of racial profiling have brought unwanted protests and media attention to the coffee chain. In response, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said he will order store managers to undergo training as to “unconscious bias.”

Although the training ordered by Mr. Johnson likely relates to customer service, prudence dictates that the training also encompass employment relations. Courts have long recognized that an employment practice or decision influenced by “unconscious bias” toward one or more protected groups is a form of unlawful employment discrimination.  An employer who does not provide employee training to combat “unconscious bias” thus risks potential liability and defense costs under applicable employment discrimination statutes.

What Is “Unconscious Bias?”

Even if a person does not display overt bigotry or hatred toward a minority group, the person may still harbor assumptions about the group based on cultural generalizations or stereotypes. Often, these stereotypes are inaccurate and unfair, and therefore biased. The person may or may not be aware of the bias, but the bias exists nonetheless.  A bias harbored by a person of which he or she is unaware is “unconscious bias.”

Significantly, “unconscious bias” is common even in persons who profess to be unbiased.  As observed in the Harvard Business Review by Harvard University researcher Mahzarin Banaji:

Most of us believe that we are ethical and unbiased. We imagine we’re good decision makers, able to objectively size up a job candidate or a venture deal and reach a fair and rational conclusion that’s in our, and our organisation’s, best interests, but more than two decades of research confirms that, in reality, most of us fall woefully short of our inflated self-perception.

When Does “Unconscious Bias” Become Unlawful Discrimination?

“Unconscious bias” becomes unlawful discrimination when it (a) is tied to a protected characteristic, such as race, color, national origin, age, sex, disability or religion, and (b) influences an employment decision.  Predictably, an employment decision is more susceptible to being tainted by “unconscious bias” when subjective criteria are involved.  Under such circumstances, a stereotype may unwittingly bias how the decision-maker processes and interprets information and how other people are judged.

In The Id, The Ego, and Equal Protection Reckoning with Unconscious Racism, 39 Stan. L. Rev. 317, 324-25 (1987), Charles R. Lawrence provided an example of unconscious racial bias at work in a hiring decision:

Thus, an individual may select a white job applicant over an equally qualified black and honestly believe that this decision was based on observed intangibles unrelated to race. The employer perceives the white candidate as ‘more articulate,’ ‘more collegial,’ ‘more thoughtful,’ or ‘more charismatic.’ He is unaware of the learned stereotype that influenced his decision. Moreover, he has probably also learned an explicit lesson of which he is very much aware: Good, law-abiding people do not judge others on the basis of race. Even the most thorough investigation of conscious motive will not uncover the race-based stereotype that has influenced his decision.

In The Content of Our Categories: A Cognitive Bias Approach to Discrimination & Equal Employment Opportunity, 47 Stan. L. Rev. 1161, 1188-90 (1995), Linda Hamilton Krieger provided another example:

Krieger cites the example of a Salvadoran who was the only nonwhite employee at his workplace. Although he made mistakes, so did the other employees. However, his supervisor uniformly reprimanded him for his mistakes and later declined to promote him and ultimately terminated him while overlooking the white employees’ mistakes. His supervisor also ignored his achievements or attributed them to others, while commending white employees for similar achievements. While the supervisor may have intentionally discriminated against the Salvadoran, he might also have treated him poorly because he viewed him through the lens of an uncomplimentary stereotype, making him less likely to notice the Salvadoran’s achievements relative to those of the white employees and more likely to treat his mistakes harshly.

How Do Employers Combat “Unconscious Bias?”

The use of objective criteria in employment decisions is a partial answer to “unconscious bias”, but subjectivity cannot always be avoided. The ultimate answer is training.  In this regard, the goal of the training should be two-fold.

First, employees should not merely be told about “unconscious bias.”  Remember, many employees will believe their decision-making is unbiased.  Telling them otherwise may fall on deaf ears.

Instead, employees should be shown “unconscious bias.” Such a demonstration can be accomplished through employee testing. The results of testing can unsettling, but the first step toward combatting bias is to turn a hidden bias into a visible one. Once  preconceived beliefs have been dispelled, the employees will be more receptive to training.

Second, employees should be provided the necessary information for combatting “unconscious bias” in decision-making.  This information includes the fallacies behind certain stereotypes and the review of specific situations likely to arise in decision-making.  Once employees know how to fight back these biases, they will be better informed in mitigating the legal risks present in any employment decision.