Apartment employees who complain about discrimination or harassment and how that relates to retaliation is the topic this week of the Grace Hill training tip.
If an employee complains to you about discrimination or harassment, you must treat that employee with care because any action you take which the employee could view as punishment or retaliation for the complaint might be construed as illegal retaliation, and result in legal action against you and your company.
Recently, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced preliminary sexual harassment data from the 2018 fiscal year (FY).
Based on the preliminary data, in FY 2018:
- The EEOC filed 66 harassment lawsuits, including 41 that included allegations of sexual harassment. That reflects more than a 50 percent increase in suits challenging sexual harassment over FY 2017.
- In addition, charges filed with the EEOC alleging sexual harassment increased by more than 12 percent from FY 2017.
- Overall, the EEOC recovered nearly $70 million for the victims of sexual harassment through litigation and administrative enforcement in FY 2018, up from $47.5 million in FY 2017.
Anti-retaliation laws ensure that people are not discouraged from speaking out against discrimination.
According to the EEOC, “Retaliation is the most frequently alleged basis of discrimination in the federal sector and the most common discrimination finding in federal sector cases. “
The increase in charges filed with the EEOC, along with the heightened awareness brought about by the #MeToo movement and the promotion of prevention strategies such as bystander intervention, make it more important than ever that employees and supervisors are aware of another illegal behavior: retaliation.
Property manager cannot act in a way that appears to retaliate for a complaint
A manager may not fire, demote, harass or otherwise retaliate against an individual for filing a complaint of discrimination, participating in a discrimination proceeding, or otherwise opposing discrimination. This type of behavior is called retaliation and it is illegal.
Anti-retaliation laws serve important purposes. Not only do they protect employees from retaliatory behavior, but they also help ensure that people are not discouraged from speaking out against discrimination or participating in the EEOC’s administrative process or other employment discrimination proceedings.
To address retaliation, organizations must recognize the potential for retaliation and also make sure supervisors know the acceptable and unacceptable responses to protected activity under the law.
If you are in a multifamily supervisory role, here are some important things to know about discrimination
- Any employee who voices a concern about discrimination or harassment must be treated equally.
- Make sure that no one is treated differently for voicing a concern, and don’t avoid an employee who has done so. This might create a retaliation claim instead of preventing one.
- It is also important to have thorough and timely communications with HR, and document all supervisor actions involving employee counseling and discipline, complaints, or other possible situations which could be used to create a retaliation claim.
While it may be difficult not to take an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) allegation personally, it is important, if you are involved in such a situation, to take a step back to consider your reactions.
A negative change of behavior toward an employee after an EEO allegation can be perceived as retaliatory.
Ways a manager can prevent retaliation
Here are some ways you, as a supervisor, can prevent retaliation:
- Avoid publicly discussing the allegation
- Do not share information about the EEO activity with any other managers or subordinates
- Be careful not to isolate the employee
- Avoid reactive behavior such as denying the employee information, equipment, or benefits provided to other employees who are performing similar duties
- Do not interfere with the EEO process
- Provide clear and accurate information to the EEO staff, EEO Investigator, or judge
- Do not threaten the employee, witnesses or anyone else involved in the processing of a complaint
Read Ellen’s full blog post here.
Recent Grace Hill training tips you may have missed:
Are You Confused By Requests For Service, Emotional Support And Assistance Animals?
What Do You Do When Assistance Animals Break The Rules?
7 Ways To Stay Out Of Trouble When Checking Criminal History
5 Ways To Protect Applicants, Residents And Employees From Sexual Harassment
Do You Have A Smoke-Free Policy That Adequately Protects Residents?
How To Handle Suspicious Documentation For Assistance Animals
How A No Pet Policy Can Be Discriminatory
Property Management Cyber attack Risks Overlooked, Underestimated
Do You Know How To Respond To a Sexual Harassment Complaint?
Have You Reviewed Your Criminal Background Checks Policy Lately?
Multifamily Managers And Marijuana: Caught In A Pot Crossfire
Fair Housing Discrimination Against Someone You’ve Never Talked To?
4 Ways To Avoid Screening Pitfalls With Applicants
Red Flags In Evaluating Documentation For Assistance Animals
Did You Know Fair Housing Laws Apply To Vendors Working At Your Property?
About the author:
Ellen Clark is the Director of Assessment at Grace Hill. Her work has spanned the entire learner lifecycle, from elementary school through professional education. She spent over 10 years working with K12 Inc.’s network of online charter schools – measuring learning, developing learning improvement plans using evidence-based strategies, and conducting learning studies. Later, at Kaplan Inc., she worked in the vocational education and job training divisions, improving online, blended and face-to-face training programs, and working directly with business leadership and trainers to improve learner outcomes and job performance. Ellen lives and works in Maryland, where she was born and raised.
About Grace Hill
For nearly two decades, Grace Hill has been developing best-in-class online training courseware and administration solely for the Property Management Industry, designed to help people, teams and companies improve performance and reduce risk. Contact Grace Hill at 866.472.2344 to hear more.
Photo credit Siphotograhy via istockphoto.com
