HR Works COVID-19 Update: Avoiding Discrimination Lawsuits While Addressing the Pandemic

Unfortunately, COVID-19 has invited a new wave of discrimination, particularly against pregnant women, employees over the age of 65, and those of Chinese or Asian heritage. There are other issues as well, including managing discrimination while employees are working remotely. As your organization meets the other challenges of COVID-19, make sure you are not accidentally discriminating against these and other protected classes. In this episode, we are pleased to with us attorney Barry Hartstein (https://www.littler.com/people/barry-hartstein), Shareholder and Co-Chair of the EEO & Diversity Practice Group at Littler (https://www.littler.com/) in Chicago. Barry has earned a national reputation for a career that includes more than 30 years of counseling and representing employers in a broad range of labor and employment matters. He is a frequent writer, commentator and lecturer on workplace issues. He also has extensive experience as a litigator and has defended employers nationwide in individual and class action claims and wage and hour collective actions. He has particular expertise dealing with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on both a local and national level, which included an invitation by the EEOC chair to address the Commission at a recent meeting in Washington D.C. on the legal standards governing employers’ consideration of criminal arrest and conviction records.