A recent study reveals a concerning reality for many new doctors: a high prevalence of sexual harassment during their first year. This creates a hostile work environment, negatively impacting their well-being and professional development. The study, published in JAMA Health Forum, surveyed interns who finished their residency programs in 2017, 2018 and 2023. The results highlight a troubling trend: over half of these new doctors reported experiencing at least one form of sexual harassment in their first year. This number is even higher for female doctors, with nearly three-quarters facing hara ..read more

When it comes to employment, discrimination is an unfortunate reality that many individuals face. Thankfully, the legal system is designed to rectify such injustices and provide remedies to victims of discrimination. When discrimination is identified, the law’s primary aim is to restore the victim to the position they would have held if discrimination had never occurred. Remedies vary based on the discriminatory action and its impact. For example, if someone is denied a job or promotion due to discrimination, remedies may include job placement, back pay and benefits. Compensatory and punitive ..read more

There are numerous federal laws that protect employees in the United States. These statutes give workers a right to appropriate pay and overtime wages. They also protect workers from retaliation and other misconduct that might affect their employment. When federal lawmakers recognize that there have been consistent abuses in certain areas of employment, they may enact new laws intended to protect employees. That is exactly what happened when Congress initially passed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in 1993. The FMLA was a groundbreaking piece of legislation that created a rule against ..read more

Federal laws help to establish protections for workers in part so that they don’t have to experience unfair discrimination related to protected characteristics such as religion, race, medical condition or sex. For example, per federal law, women should theoretically receive the same treatment as their male coworkers and should have protection from discrimination related to medical conditions that only affect female workers, like pregnancy. There are already certain federal workplace protections that can support women during pregnancy such as protection from medical discrimination that applies ..read more

What a company pays one of its workers varies. Someone’s experience and education often has a major impact on how much an employer offers them for a specific role. A company may even offer a pay range that allows for tens of thousands of dollars in difference in salary for people in the same position in some cases. Many employers do not disclose what they offer for different roles in their job listings, making it difficult for talent to know whether an employment offer is worth their time. Pay transparency efforts have begun to reverse that trend, with more employers every month moving to incl ..read more

The continuing and ever-growing sophistication of cutting-edge technology has made communication easier. Workplaces once accustomed to paper memos can now collaborate via instant messages and online meetings, and one-on-one cyber interactions. However, those benefits have come with a cost. Many employees use communication tools as a means to harass and bully fellow co-workers. The sheer number of staff members engaging in online harassment has made it an all-too-common activity. Alarming data confirming bad behavior A recent study reveals that eight out of 10 adults were victims of cyberbullyi ..read more

Four years of discriminating and sidestepping prospective Black and Asian employees has come at a major cost to a Missouri-based company. In August, Cerner Corp. – a North Kansas City medical information technology company – agreed to a settlement worth nearly $1.9 million with the U.S. Department of Labor. This is just another example of how workplace discrimination affects the lives of people and their families who want to earn a living without having to be judged by the color of their skin and country of origin. Discriminating nearly 1,900 prospective employees Although Cerner denied the go ..read more

A five-year legal battle stemming from accusations of workplace sexual discrimination and retaliation has finally ended with a school district agreeing to pay more than $1 million to one of its former employees. In settlement made in August between the Jefferson City School District and its former instructional technology coordinator, the district agreed to pay Tammy Ferry nearly $1.3 million. Ferry had filed a civil lawsuit in 2017 alleging sexual discrimination, retaliation and a hostile work environment. Defendants in the case included the district, Ferry’s former supervisor and the distric ..read more

If you have experienced racial discrimination at work or when applying for a job, you deserve compensation under Missouri and federal law. But getting justice in this way requires you to follow a specific, multi-step process. One such step is filing a discrimination charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency that investigates workplace discrimination claims and enforces laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964. You can file a claim in one of two ways: online or in person at your local EEOC office. There is an office in the Kansas City area where you c ..read more

Carrabba’s Italian Grill, part of OS Restaurants Services, operates primarily in the food industry with restaurants located throughout the country. The restaurant giant recently made headlines after loosing a massive sexual harassment case — showing that sexual harassment remains a serious problem. The case involves a manager who made unwelcomed comments to female workers and subjected them to other forms of sexual harassment. It serves as an opportunity to review the basics of these cases and the impact of a win, not just on the victim but also the broader impact on the workplace as a whole ..read more