As a boss, you already know the pressure and the stress of running your company. It is a daily battle to make deadlines, achieve goals, motivate employees and provide income for them to feed their families. When one of your employees files a discrimination claim against you, you must address this quickly with an employment law attorney. But there are common sense steps you can take to prevent a discrimination claim from occurring, or create proper protections for your company if a claim is filed.
Documentation
Of highest priority is making sure all employees are consistently treated the same in all actions you take (or do not take), treated consistently by their supervisors and managers as compared to other employees, and maintaining proper documentation of any performance or misconduct issue for all employees. Performance standards for employees should be applied consistently, and should discipline be necessary, apply discipline consistently for each employee engaging in similar acts. Should a discrimination complaint be made by an employee, take the employee’s complaint seriously and investigate it properly to determine what if anything has occurred. Employees are more likely to file a discrimination complaint if they feel their concerns were not taken seriously and properly addressed. Contact an employment law attorney as soon as possible. Good communication among all parties, supervisors, managers, and your employment law attorney, and proper and accurate documentation may help to resolve a matter before it becomes a legal action and leave you in a better position should a lawsuit be filed.
Insurance
There is insurance available for companies to protect against employment harassment and discrimination lawsuits. Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) is a specific type of liability insurance that is targeted to companies and employers so that they can have protection against liability cases that arises out of standard employment practices. While the cost may seem extensive to protect for “what if” scenarios, peace of mind for the future may be just what you need.
Claims
There is more than one way for an employee to make a discrimination claim against her employer. It is important to know how these claims can be made so you know best how to protect yourself from them.
- An employee may make a claim to someone employed by the business.
- The employee might choose to make a claim directly to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
- Either or both of these methods.
Chicago Employment Attorneys
When an employee files a discrimination claim against their boss, it is time for an experienced corporate defense attorney to be fighting your side. Contact our law firm today at 312-332-6733 or connect with Goldman & Ehrlich online.