Supreme Court Hands Employers a Victory in Title VII Case

The United States Supreme Court issued a 5-4 verdict on June 24, 2013 clarifying that an employee alleging unlawful retaliation in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 must be able to prove that a retaliatory motive was the “but-for” cause of an adverse employment action.

This decision ensures that the burden of proof is never on the employer. Now, the employee must be able to prove that the impermissible, retaliatory motive was the main reason and not simply a reason for the employer’s averse action. By this standard, employees pushing the allegations must be able to prove that “the unlawful retaliation would not have occurred in the absence of the alleged wrongful action or actions of the employer.”

Seven Ways for More Effective Communications with Your Employees

A company’s employees are always one of the most valuable resource they can have. Employees like to feel kept in the loop and know what is going on in and with the company they represent. Yet, all too often, in an effort to provide the best customer relations, companies push communicating with their employees to the back burner. This can lead to lower employee morale and eventually then decreasing employee productivity.

However, there are seven simple steps that every company can begin to put in place to avoid this problem.

1) Personalize company goals with each individual employee and departments’ priorities and goals. When mistakes occur or a project ventures off course, ask yourself “what context or information did I not provide my team with adequately?”

2) Employees want to know how they fit into the overall corporate equation. They desire to know their job has meaning and is needed in the company structure. Communicate with your employees how their position helps enhance the company standing, completes the workload, etc. 

3) In numerous studies, the boss is always the preferred source for information related to an employee’s job. Be ready with essential information to help employees perform their job more effectively. 

4) Performance feedback is always appreciated by employees. It is better to provide a more real time stream of feedback in addition to the more formal annual reviews. This allows you the ability to reinforce good behavior/activities and correct misguided ones closer to the actual action. 

5) Try to look at what an employee wants and/or needs from their point of view. Employees want to feel their boss can empathize with them. 

6) Conduct various things such as engagement surveys, listening sessions, etc. to hear how the company and procedures are from the employee’s point of view. Enlisting the help of a third party to conduct these reviews helps employees feel more comfortable to open us and provide constructively honest answers. 

7) Be consistent and reliable with when you communicate with your employees. Establish a plan for employee communications and then inform all of your employees of when they can expect to hear information from you.

For more information or help setting up an employee communication plan, call your Lowden & Associates team member at 770.248.0401.