Last week, and for several months prior, the subject of
unconscious bias and its effect on the workplace got a lot of attention. Suzanne
Lucas covered the use of the phrase “digital
native” as a job qualification and how it might be an indicator of age
discrimination in hiring. Fast Company demonstrated how various
technologies can help search
for and combat unconscious bias within a company; and Nicholas Kristof
asked where the brain’s “ingrained
propensity for racial bias” comes from. Google is addressing
unconscious bias by seizing its big
data to address its own diversity issues. In our view, the more
attention paid to the role of unconscious bias and its corrosive effects, the
better.
Discrimination
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Human Resource Executive Online queried whether hiring managers are asking illegal interview questions.
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A federal judge in Wisconsin upheld the EEOC’s subpoenas to Union Pacific in search of evidence of class-wide race discrimination.
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The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals held two racially derogatory remarks in 24 hours can create a hostile work environment.
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Meghan M. Biro called for leadership vision for more diversity in the tech industry.
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The Employer’s Lawyer analyzed the office romance of “The Empire Strikes Back.”
Technology
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The EEOC is testing new technology that will allow the agency to process charges of discrimination electronically.
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ERE predicted that most of what recruiters do will be replaced by technology.
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Forbes predicted that a job of the future will be training robots to work with people.
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The U.S. Department of Justice offered some guidance on cybersecurity to companies that may not have a handle on all of their data.
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A former U.S. Department of Energy employee launched a cyberattack to gain access to sensitive nuclear data.
In other developments
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An ESPN reporter’s comments demonstrate why employers may want to consider off-duty behavior rules, according to XpertHR.
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The New York Law Journal discussed when an employer is on notice that an employee may need FMLA leave.
Posted by Kate Bischoff
