Should You Ever Turn Down a Promotion?

​Early in her career, Mary ­Humiston was working in HR for General Electric and agreed to a temporary assignment in China. She expected the gig to last only a few months, but... Read more »

Failure to Promote Shortly After Reporting Harassment Was Not Retaliation

​Takeaway: While closeness in time between protected activity and adverse action can be a factor to show an employer’s bad motive, it is not by itself enough to establish causation, especially if... Read more »

Worker Who Didn’t Apply for Position Loses Failure-to-Promote Claim

​Takeaway: This case clarifies that an employee must apply for a position in order to claim that she was not selected for it. At the same time, another court might find it... Read more »

Older Worker Denied Promotion by Young Interview Panel Loses Claim

?Takeaway: A company has considerable freedom in deciding how to select candidates for promotion.  ?Even when an employer uses a young group of interviewers and primarily relies upon interview scores to determine... Read more »

The Bumpy Path to Leadership for Women

?Historically, women have held fewer leadership positions than men. Federal data shows that women account for 47 percent of the U.S. workforce but just 31 percent of top executive roles. Many factors... Read more »

Predictive Analytics Can Help Companies Manage Talent

?Crystal balls might not exist, but that doesn’t mean companies don’t have the ability to gaze into the future. Hidden among hiring choices, performance reviews and employee engagement surveys are patterns that... Read more »

Decision Underscores Importance of Contemporaneous Documentation

?Takeaway: The court’s summary of its rationale points out two critical issues on which its decisions turned: 1) conflicting evidence and 2) favorable inferences. Understanding how to avoid these two pitfalls can... Read more »

Discipline of Police Officers Was Not Retaliation for Complaints

Takeaway: Employees’ generalized complaints about racial unfairness in the workplace do not qualify as protected activity sufficient to support a retaliation claim. In this case, two police officers complained that workplace comments suggested... Read more »

Refusal to Promote Correctional Officer with Back Injury Upheld

?Takeaway: In evaluating whether an employee can perform essential job functions and so is qualified for the job for purposes of the ADA, a court will consider a number of factors, no... Read more »

Gay Employee’s Failure-to-Promote and Termination Claims Dismissed

?Takeaway: While the employer ultimately prevailed in this matter, this is an example of how insensitive comments can light the fuse for litigation that wended its way through one administrative agency and... Read more »
Subscribe to our Newsletter