Scott R. Green, partner and vice chair in Goldberg Segalla’s Employment and Labor group, spoke with Law360 regarding the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s “Promising Practices for Preventing Harassment in the Federal Sector” document.

While these practices are for federal agencies, they will likely lead to practices in the private sector.

“What the feds will often do is they’ll require it first of their own agencies, then they’ll require it of federal contractors. And then, once you see that, that kind of gives you a road map of where they’re going to go next in terms of private-sector requirements,” Scott said.

Some of the unique guidelines within the document include steps around preventing virtual workplace harassment, which Scott said employers should make note of for potential litigation.

“… Teams and Zoom, the chat messages between people — that is the new hot e-discovery item that everyone’s looking for,” Scott said. “And a lot of companies right now are falling down on their retention policies when it comes to that stuff because it wasn’t being saved — it was being completely overlooked.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE:

“EEOC Harassment Tips Useful for Private Employers Too,” Law360, April 24, 2023 [Subscription Required]

MORE ABOUT GOLDBERG SEGALLA’S SCOTT R. GREEN:

Scott R. Green is an experienced employment litigator and trusted counselor to a diverse array of employers, including publicly traded corporations, small businesses, multinational corporations, nonprofit organizations, and individuals. His practice involves defending management against employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour claims in federal and state courts and before various federal, state, and local administrative bodies, as well as defending employers against class action lawsuits and multidistrict lawsuits involving employment issues. Scott also routinely litigates restrictive covenant and non-competition disputes and handles traditional labor law matters, including negotiating collective bargaining agreements and handling National Labor Relations Board charges and union arbitrations. In addition to litigation, Scott regularly counsels employers with respect to employment agreements, employee handbooks, and employment policies, practices, and procedures.