Business Law: Guarding Against Discrimination Lawsuits

The world of business law is vast and complex. To tackle the entire subject in a single article (or even a single book) would be folly. But as a young entrepreneur, there are certain aspects of the legal field you need to be aware of. If you are going to be hiring employees, you need to be very careful about staying within the boundaries of anti-discrimination laws. These laws prevent employers from discriminating against potential hires on the basis of age, religion, race, or creed. If you do so and it becomes known, you could face a lawsuit. This is not a situation you want to find yourself in. Here are some ways in which you can avoid it.

Know What's Happening

As the owner, you may not be personally involved in the day to day running of all aspects of your company. This is where many owners get into trouble. If you do not know what your managers are doing, discrimination could be happening under your own roof. Do not let yourself get so detached from the operation of your company that this kind of thing can happen. Naturally, if your company is of a certain size, it will be impossible for you to know what happens at each branch. This is where you must hire competent, knowledgeable, non-biased managers who can act as your eyes and ears.

EOE

Instead of leaving open the question of whether or not you are against discrimination, think about pursuing the opposite course of action. Go out of your way to let potential hires know that you are an equal opportunity employer. State in your ads that you are open to applicants from all walks of life and make hiring decisions that reflect this policy. The best person for the job is not always going to be a white male. It just simply is not possible. If you notice that your employee force is getting a bit homogenous, think about going in a different direction with your next hire. It will help you stay on the right side of business law.

Education

The middle manager of your company is not particularly worried about being sued for discrimination. The finer points of business law may not matter as much to him. He may think it is perfectly fine to keep putting diverse candidates at the bottom of the rejection pile. This is why you need to take the initiative and make sure that everyone in your company is educated when it comes to what discrimination is and how best to avoid practicing it.