Here’s a textbook example of how to handle a discrimination complaint.
Systems analyst Deborah Wood filed suit against her employer, claiming gender bias.
Two years earlier, Wood became convinced someone was entering her office when she wasn’t there and tampering with her computer.
Her manager spent 150 hours investigating the complaint, installing computer monitoring software and putting a lock on her door.
Unsatisfied and still convinced someone was accessing her office, Wood complained to HR, which conducted its own investigation.
Calling these efforts “inadequate,” Wood filed suit, claiming she suffered harassment which “must have been” due to gender bias.
The court didn’t buy it.
The firm went to “extraordinary lengths” to investigate her allegations, the judge said, and the court could find no evidence that the investigation was tainted by gender bias.
How did the court know so much about the investigation? The company kept pristine documentation outlining exactly what it did and when.
Cite: Wood v. University of Pittsburgh
