Here Are Some of the Various Ways You Can Get Sued by Employees

Howard Mavity's Workplace Safety and Health Law Blog post "Here Are Some of the Various Ways You Can Get Sued by Employees" was picked up by TLNT on April 7, 2015.

Don’t give co-workers erotic books
A recent Law 360 headline described a corporate senior counsel explained providing an erotic book with “playful and provocative” drawings to a fellow manager as an “innocent gift.”

He had even written an inscription which read, “a taste of Dharma Bum to remind that the Dharma breathes in and out and is nothing special,” referring, in part, to the Buddhist philosophy of life and the novel by beat writer Jack Kerouac. There are many other allegations and facts associated with the underlying discrimination claim, and I have no idea as to whether unlawful conduct actually occurred.

But, this reminds us that employees, even executives, should keep their personal life out of work and should always act professionally.

Can you think of any circumstances in which an alleged victim of sex harassment or discrimination would not be able to raise concerns based upon a peer or supervisor providing them an erotic book containing “playful and provocative” drawings? And keep in mind that the executive was an attorney, and presumably should have been more risk adverse.

The moral of this story is that anyone can exercise bad judgment, and often the most powerful and education individuals may most believe that the rules do not apply to them.

To read the full article, please visit TLNT.