SUNRISE, Fla., June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Last year the U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) resolved 87,755 charges of employment
discrimination for $236 million in monetary and other benefits. Sexual
harassment and gender-related claims made up only 30 percent of the cases. So
what are employers doing wrong now?
The largest number of EEOC complaints (35.1 percent) came from allegations
of race discrimination. This was followed by claims of retaliation for filing
a charge or cooperating with an investigation (27.9 percent), age
discrimination (23.5 percent), and discrimination based upon an employee's or
applicant's disability (18.9 percent). The figures add up to more than 100
percent because numerous complaints alleged more than one kind of
discrimination.
"Employers paid out $236 million last year and $257 million the year
before. These figures tell me that managers in a lot of companies aren't
doing their homework," says Ashley Kaplan, employment law attorney for
Sunrise, Fla.-based G.Neil Corp. "As a result, they also are putting
themselves and their organizations at financial risk."
Managers and Supervisors Are Critical
Businesses today, Kaplan says, "simply cannot afford to have poorly
trained managers and supervisors leading the workforce in such a litigious
climate. The potential risks are just too great."
"Not every company can afford to have a labor lawyer on the payroll, but
most companies can afford to send managers to seminars, and it's well worth
the investment," she said.
Another cost-effective solution is video-based training, according to
Kaplan: "Videos don't cost a lot. They can be used over and over as new
employees are hired. And, when they're done well, they are extremely
effective because employees absorb the information the same way they watch TV
shows -- intently."
"Videos that are done well use entertaining storylines and real-life
situations that employees can relate to. They are especially valuable for
inexperienced or newly appointed managers who've never supervised people
before," she added.
G.Neil has specialized in labor law compliance for more than 15 years and
offers numerous products to help business owners and managers comply with the
EEOC regulations, the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964, and many others.
Cognizant of most companies' financial limitations, Kaplan and the G.Neil
legal team have created a series of training videos for both managers and
employees to promote compliance with the labor laws. These cover such vital
issues as sexual harassment, employment discrimination, racial and ethnic
diversity in the workplace, and the legal pitfalls in hiring and firing.
Based in suburban Fort Lauderdale, Fla., privately held G.Neil Corp.
offers more than 7,000 "tools to manage and motivate people" to more than
1 million U.S. businesses. It specializes in products that help employers
manage everyday workplace issues, products that include HR forms, software,
pre-employment and substance testing, workplace safety solutions, and labor
law compliance posters. For further information or to request a catalog, call
toll-free 1-800-999-9111 or visit http://www.gneil.com.
Contact:
Ashley Kaplan
954-846-8899
akaplan@gneil.com
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