4.30.14  

  SHRM  

 

Jordan B. Schwartz was quoted an article titled "When the Bad Guy Is the Boss." 

 

An excerpt:

 

"In many jurisdictions, an employer is strictly liable under Title VII for racial or sexual harassment committed by a senior executive who is considered a proxy for the employer," said Jordan Schwartz. … "Once the owner becomes aware of the potential exposure from racially or sexually offensive remarks, I don't believe it's risky for an HR manager to suggest training or counseling. In fact, it would be riskier for the HR manager not to suggest training, and then have the company be hit with a lawsuit." …

 

"The best thing an HR department can do is use this unfortunate circumstance as yet another reason to insist on having all company personnel undergo … training," Schwartz said. "It's most useful when the trainer is able to use real-world scenarios as examples. In this situation, a real-world example would have presented itself."