If any of your managers think an employee complaint about unfair treatment or discrimination is unimportant, let them take a look at these statistics.
For starters, the median award for all employment-related claims in 2009 skyrocketed by 60% over 2008.The median amount last year was $326,640.
That scary stat comes from the latest survey by Jury Verdict Research. Here’s more from the survey:
- The claim where your company will most likely pay the most: retaliation. Judges and juries are especially tough when they perceive than a supervisor got tough with an employee who filed a complaint about discrimination or other unfair treatment.
- The claim your business will pay the most for if it goes to a jury: age or disability discrimination.
- The claim your company is most likely to get hit with: sex or race discrimination. They remain the most common.
The new year is a great time to review your policies with all supervisors to ensure everyone understands what’s OK and what’s not in terms of managing people.