fbpx

Dealing with racial discrimination in the workplace

By Susan Eisenberg

As most would agree, we are living and working in unprecedented times. Employers have been dealing with issues related to COVID-19 and now phasing in return to work protocols for employees. During this time, George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis sparking outrage and nationwide protests.

Susan Eisenberg is a labor and employment partner with Cozen O’Connor’s Miami office

Employers are now receiving concerns from employees that co-workers, or worse, supervisors are making racist comments. The question becomes: what is an employer to do?

From an employment standpoint, it is always best to go back to basics. In this case, race is a characteristic protected by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. This is the same statute that makes gender, sex, national origin and religion protected characteristics. The law that has evolved since Title VII was passed, makes employers liable for both discrimination that is direct and that which creates a hostile work environment. Direct evidence of discrimination shows discrimination without inference such as “do not hire another African American employee.”  In addition, to be actionable as direct evidence of discrimination, the comment must be made by a decision maker (i.e. a manager who has the ability to make a decision about the employee’s employment). Of course, not all comments constitute direct evidence of discrimination. Where the comments or actions are carried out by a co-worker, the activity must be sufficiently severe or pervasive to create a hostile environment.

While employers may see an uptick in employee concerns, most employers should already have the tools in place to handle these concerns. Most employers already have an anti-harassment policy in place that should protect discrimination based upon any protected characteristic including race. That policy should have a reporting procedure identified so that employees know how to raise any concerns. Once the concerns are raised, a timely, thorough investigation should be completed. If a supervisor is the alleged harasser and there is evidence of inappropriate conduct, prompt remedial action, up to and including termination should be taken. Where there is inappropriate conduct by co-workers, action should be taken to stop and ensure that the harassing conduct does not continue. This is true whether or not the conduct rises to the level of an actionable hostile environment. This would be a good time for the employer to re-issue their policies and schedule training.

A number of the concerns regarding inappropriate conduct stems from posts on social media. The question that often comes up is: Can an employer terminate an employee based upon comments made on social media?  The general answer is yes, particularly where the post is perceived as threatening or hate speech. Employers are often implicated in their employee’s posts because the employee is identified on their profile as working for the company. Employers should have social media policies in place that, at a minimum, provide that employees must refrain from identifying themselves as representing their employer’s views on any topics (unless they have the employer’s permission to do so). In addition, the policy should make it clear that the employee should never post anything that is threatening, harassing, bullying or defamatory or that could contribute to a hostile work environment by disparaging others based upon a protected characteristic, including race.

One caveat is that a few states, including California, Colorado, Louisiana, New York and North Dakota  have laws that protect employees from retaliation for engaging in lawful off-duty conduct and political activities no matter how distasteful. Even in those states, only lawful conduct is protected and racial discrimination is not lawful conduct. Another caveat is that employee is protected if it qualifies as terms and conditions of employment under the National Labor Relations Act.

As always, check with your employment attorney before taking any action.

Susan Eisenberg is a labor and employment partner with Cozen O’Connor’s Miami office. She can be reached at seisenberg@cozen.com

 

 

 

You May Also Like

Palm Beach Names Joanne M. O’Connor Town Attorney

The Palm Beach Town Council passed a resolution recognizing O’Connor’s new role.

Fort Lauderdale High School Students Selected as 2024 Conrad & Scherer Pathways to Careers in Law Fellows

Seniors from this year’s and last year’s classes will be eligible to apply for a paid summer internship at the law firm.

Annual Joint Tax & Estate Planning Seminar Draws Over 350 Industry Professionals 

The theme centered around planning for an uncertain future.

Development Specialists, Inc. Holds Bankruptcy Bar Networking Event in Fort Lauderdale

The company has been one of the leading providers of management consulting and financial advisory services for 45 years.

Other Posts

Siblings Boost Prestigious Fort Lauderdale Trial Law Firm as it Celebrates 50th Anniversary

William Scherer, III and Former Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer will serve as Partners at the firm.

Big Plans for The Boca Raton Center for Arts and Innovation  

The Boca Raton Center for Arts and Innovation has set itself some pretty high aspirations: a world-class performing arts venue, a state-of-the-art event space, an instant landmark and an incubator

Bryant Miller Olive P.A. Named As Best Law Firm in Public Finance Law by U.S. News

Bryant Miller Olive P.A. (BMO) was recently honored as a 2023 Tier 1 National “Best Law Firm” for Public Finance Law by U.S. News – Best Lawyers®. BMO was also recognized in U.S.

The Executive Director of Legal Aid Service of Broward County Charts the Way Forward

“When I was growing up, we were very poor, in a very impoverished place,” says Brent Thompson about his North Dakota upbringing. The executive director of Legal Aid Service of

Drew Limsky

Drew Limsky

Editor-in-Chief

BIOGRAPHY

Drew Limsky joined Lifestyle Media Group in August 2020 as Editor-in-Chief of South Florida Business & Wealth. His first issue of SFBW, October 2020, heralded a reimagined structure, with new content categories and a slew of fresh visual themes. “As sort of a cross between Forbes and Robb Report, with a dash of GQ and Vogue,” Limsky says, “SFBW reflects South Florida’s increasingly sophisticated and dynamic business and cultural landscape.”

Limsky, an avid traveler, swimmer and film buff who holds a law degree and Ph.D. from New York University, likes to say, “I’m a doctor, but I can’t operate—except on your brand.” He wrote his dissertation on the nonfiction work of Joan Didion. Prior to that, Limsky received his B.A. in English, summa cum laude, from Emory University and earned his M.A. in literature at American University in connection with a Masters Scholar Award fellowship.

Limsky came to SFBW at the apex of a storied career in journalism and publishing that includes six previous lead editorial roles, including for some of the world’s best-known brands. He served as global editor-in-chief of Lexus magazine, founding editor-in-chief of custom lifestyle magazines for Cadillac and Holland America Line, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Interiors South Florida. He also was the executive editor for B2B magazines for Acura and Honda Financial Services, and he served as travel editor for Conde Nast. Magazines under Limsky’s editorship have garnered more than 75 industry awards.

He has also written for many of the country’s top newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, USA Today, Worth, Robb Report, Afar, Time Out New York, National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Journal, Ritz-Carlton, Elite Traveler, Florida Design, Metropolis and Architectural Digest Mexico. His other clients have included Four Seasons, Acqualina Resort & Residences, Yahoo!, American Airlines, Wynn, Douglas Elliman and Corcoran. As an adjunct assistant professor, Limsky has taught journalism, film and creative writing at the City University of New York, Pace University, American University and other colleges.