Acquiring Workers Through Agencies or Other Third Parties Does Little To Reduce the Risk of Potential Legal Claims of Harassment

In the Houston Medical Journal article “Acquiring Workers Through Agencies or Other Third Parties Does Little To Reduce the Risk of Potential Legal Claims of Harassment,” Lariza Hebert discusses the implications of the joint employer relationship when harassment claims occur. For hospitals facing harassment claims, joint employer relationship can be easy to establish in many cases, making the hospital liable. To avoid liability in a claim, Lariza suggests avoiding joint employer relationships by establishing that the hospital has no control over disciplining, hiring, or firing third-party workers.

She also suggests that “third-party workers should be given the same information, protections, and rights as hospital employees with respect to their right to be free of discrimination or harassment in the workplace. Maintaining a broad prohibition toward harassment is not only the best way to mitigate risk, but it is the right thing to do.”