Website Launched:  12/26/1994 Last Update:  2/14/2013 The Integrity Center, Inc. "objective risk management services" (972) 484-6140 [ Since 1984 ] HOME Reference Articles   SCREENING Check List Backgrounds TUTORIALS SERVICE MENU FCRA THIS COMPANY Our Methods Why Use Us Myths Pitfalls CHECK MYSELF CHECK NANNY USEFUL LINKS Library Statistics PRESS RELEASE The Integrity News Vol. XIV No. 7 ISSN 1081-2717   Inc. Magazine    September 22, 2005  "A New Wrinkle On Age Bias" "It just got easier to file age discrimination claims. Is your business at risk ?" A number of articles have appeared recently on the topic of age discrimination.  On their website, the U.S.  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)  offers "a primer on age discrimination, an explanation of the law, statistics, and instructions for responding to claims against your company."   This recent article  from Inc. Magazine is particularly clear on this topic. "This past March, the Supreme Court made it a lot easier for workers ( in companies with 20 or more employees ) to file age discrimination claims in Federal  court.   Before the ruling, in order to bring a claim to  court, plaintiffs had to show that a company's policies  were deliberately biased." "But now the threshold is much lower.   If your company has a policy or practice that adversely affects a disproportionate number of workers age 40 and older -- even if it's not intentional -- you're making yourself vulnerable to accusations of age discrimination." "Last year, more than 8,000 age discrimination lawsuits were filed against companies with fewer than 500 employees according to the EEOC.   That number could surge in the next decade, as the baby boom generation -- about half of the U.S. work force -- gets older." "To safeguard your business from an age discrimination claim, you'll have to do a lot more than slap a policy in the back of your employee manual and hold an annual training seminar.   Business owners and managers must now analyze how all of their policies and practices -- both formal and informal -- affect older workers." You need to be sure that any "policy or practice related to hiring, firing, promotions, layoffs, compensation, benefits, job assignments, or training" does not effect  a disproportionate number of employees who are 40 or older. For instance, if a disgruntled employee triggers an EEOC investigation, you don't want to have age-related notes in your HR records describing various employees  as "up-and-coming" or "long in the tooth". Some companies are even     auditing their HR database once a month for trigger words,     increasing severance packages in exchange for the employee signing a pledge not to sue the employer for age discrimination "(The pledges are legally binding, but do not prevent the EEOC from suing on behalf of employees.)",   or     purchasing Employment Practice Liability Insurance to pay future legal and settlement costs. However, there is some good news.   While the new ruling makes "it easier to get a claim into court; it doesn't make  it easier for employees to win a case once it's been  brought.   If there's a legitimate business reason behind a policy that leads to a claim, you could still prevail in  court." While we are not attorneys and do not offer legal advice, you can feel free to call us at   The Integrity Center, Inc.   at   (972) 484-6140  to discuss age discrimination issues.  Helping you with your Risk Management and HR Automation is what we do. 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