Employment Discrimination Suits Rising with Layoffs
As more companies layoff employees, employment discrimination suits are increasing. Workforce Management reports that employment discrimination suits for age, race, and gender are increasing nationwide. Nearly two-thirds of employers plan to lay off workers this year, but many of them are not freezing hiring. When companies layoff workers and hire new ones at the same time, the risk of an employment discrimination suit rises.
Mitigate Employment Discrimination Risk
Workforce Management recommends these steps to reduce the risk of employment discrimination during layoffs:
- Keep records of business reasons for the layoff
- Consider laid-off employees for open positions
- Document the selection process, including whether employee performance is considered
- Clearly define the difference in job duties for open positions including minimum qualifications
All the steps depend on objective criteria that mitigate the possibility of claiming employment discrimination.
Reduce Employment Discrimination Risk with Screening Tests
Employment screening tests, including skills assessment tests and cognitive abilities tests provide objective criteria to help reduce the risk of employment discrimination suits.
- Employment Testing Produces Objective Measures. Employment screening tests can objectively evaluate skill-levels for a job or industry. This helps prevent employment discrimination suits by providing defensible criteria for employees who don’t meet minimum requirements or employee performance standards.
- Compare Laid-Off Employee and New Hire Skills. Employment testing can be administered to outgoing and incoming employees for an objective skills-based comparison that reduces the validity of employment discrimination claims.
- Discover Hidden Skills Before Layoffs. Employment screening tests can help HR move existing employees to more productive positions rather than laying them off, reducing the risk of employment discrimination claims and hiring costs.
Learn more about employment screening tests and how they can help reduce the risk of employment discrimination.