Dive Brief:
- Sexual orientation and discrimination issues have been major HR concern of late, especially after the Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.
- Things probably will only get more complicated for manufacturing employers looking to be compliant.
- An article at Industryweek from M. Clark Spoden, an employment attorney who represents manufacturers, outlines the main compliance factors HR should be checking on in the areas of employee benefits, discrimination and harassment policies and practices related to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
Dive Insight:
Mentioning those U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Spoden singled out key issues, including: Same-sex married couples' employee benefits; same-sex married couples' FMLA rights, and building a culture of acceptance concerning sexual orientation and gender identity.
In a fourth area, Spoden made the case that employers should take a hard look at "race, religious and gender-neutral" workplace policies and make necessary changes. For example, one idea is adding sexual orientation guidelines into existing diversity training programs for managers. Another is creating and communicating a clear policy prohibiting disparaging remarks about sexual orientation in the workplace, even if employers oppose same-sex marriage rights.
"Lip service will do nothing. If you have such behavior on the factory floor, you want to put a stop to it now," Spoden wrote.
