Holman Schiavone, LLC Blog

Children who face higher risks of being bullied

On behalf of Holman Schiavone, LLC on Monday, March 30, 2020.

Bullying can happen to almost any child. Much of the time, it's just a way for the bully to reach out and try to control their own life. They may feel that they have no influence or no voice otherwise, or they may seek to make themselves look and feel better by putting others down. It's about the hierarchy more than the individual targets for the bully.

That said, there are certain types of children who may face greater levels of risk when looking at who becomes a bully's victim. It's important for parents and teachers to understand this so that they can look for red flags and step in when needed. Here are a few examples of how that works.

What you need to know about age discrimination at work

On behalf of Holman Schiavone, LLC on Monday, March 30, 2020.

They say that age is just a number. While in many respects this is true, it can, unfortunately, have an effect on how you are perceived in many different scenarios. When it comes to the working environment, studies have shown that those over the age of 40 tend to be more susceptible to be discriminated against because of their age.

This type of age discrimination can occur for a number of reasons. First, employers may realize that older employees demand a higher salary because of their acquired expertise in their profession. This may push employees to start unfairly favoring younger employees in order to save money.

Study: Harassers blame the victims

On behalf of Holman Schiavone, LLC on Monday, March 30, 2020.

Sexual harassment happens in many industries. Whenever you hear stories about it, or if you've experienced it yourself, you may find yourself wondering how this type of behavior can go on. Don't the harassers realize what they're doing and the ramifications it's going to have?

They often don't, studies have found. Instead, they tend to blame the victims.

Steps to take if you are bullied at work

On behalf of Holman Schiavone, LLC on Friday, February 7, 2020.

It sounds like a high school problem, but bullying never goes away. Even when you make your way into the working world, you'll find that some people don't treat you with the respect you deserve. And in many cases, they cross the line into "bullying territory."

If you're bullied at work, you have two options:

Put up with it and hope that it goes away
Take immediate action to ensure that it doesn't remain a problem

Protections from religious discrimination at work

On behalf of Holman Schiavone, LLC on Wednesday, February 5, 2020.

Everyone has the right to be free from unlawful discrimination in the workplace so that they can focus on their job. Several characteristics are illegal to discriminate against in the workplace, from racial discrimination to disability discrimination. It's also illegal to discriminate against a person because of their religion or their perceived religion.

A person's religion is something that can be very personal and private, but it is also something that can dictate their dress, daily routines and the holidays that they recognize. This is why elements of religion can become subject to discrimination in the workplace, but this does not mean that they should ever be tolerated. The following are some types of religious discrimination that can commonly take place in the workplace, and how all workers are protected from them.

Protect against Family and Medical Leave Act discrimination

On behalf of Holman Schiavone, LLC on Wednesday, February 5, 2020.

Thanks to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), eligible employees are able to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave every year without any concerns of losing their job.

However, even if you qualify for FMLA and you're not supposed to be a victim of discrimination, this could still come into play. And if it does, it's critical that you know the steps you can take to protect your legal rights.

The legal definition of discrimination

On behalf of Holman Schiavone, LLC on Monday, December 23, 2019.

To discriminate is an action that means to make a distinction between one thing and another. Everyone, therefore, discriminates every day. For example, we may make a distinction between taking the bus and using the car, and, as a result, we may choose to use the former. In this sense, engaging in acceptable forms of discrimination is unavoidable. However, certain forms of discrimination, specifically those regarding arbitrary characteristics of people, are unacceptable and prohibited under the law.

Several laws protect members of the public from certain types of discrimination. Many of these laws protect employees. For example, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was brought into law in 1990. It means that disabled individuals are protected from discrimination in all aspects of life, including in employment.

Understanding quid pro quo sexual harassment cases

On behalf of Holman Schiavone, LLC on Friday, December 20, 2019.

It's common for people to be put off by the phrase "quid pro quo" because they do not understand what it means. The term is a Latin phrase that directly translates to "something for something else." Its meaning is simple. It refers to any situation in which a person in power offers a certain benefit in return for some type of favor. Under the law, the phrase is used to describe situations in which this is done as an abuse of power.

Quid pro quo sexual harassment is one of the two types of sexual harassment that can occur in the workplace. If you are unsure of whether your experience constitutes a form of quid pro quo sexual harassment, it is a good idea to read common examples and to reflect on the nature of your situation.

Were you discriminated against based on age?

On behalf of Holman Schiavone, LLC on Thursday, December 19, 2019.

In theory, older individuals seeking employment or promotions are protected from discrimination by federal and often state laws. In practice, however, age discrimination still occurs with alarming regularity.

In 2016, for instance, there were 20,857 age discrimination complaints that were filed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Woman wins $6 million in discrimination suit

On behalf of Holman Schiavone, LLC on Wednesday, December 18, 2019.

Everyone should be judged on their jobs by the quality of their work. Unfortunately, in far too many instances, managerial biases and prejudices exert unfair influence over the hiring and promotional practices of a business.

Because of that, there is judicial relief available to those who were unfairly victimized by workplace discrimination. That's the option that one woman in another state utilized to win a mid-seven figure verdict in her racial discrimination suit against her employer.