03

Jan

Sexual Harassment

How Boards Can Protect Themselves from #MeToo Surprises

By R. Makana Risser Chai

Boards of Directors are often surprised to hear of sexual harassment complaints against their companies. The decisions to settle, or not, are not ones they typically get involved in. Yet…

28

Dec

Harassment, HR Law Training & Investigations, Sexual Harassment

New case: Locker Room Talk Not Sexual Harassment!?!

By R. Makana Risser Chai

This company won the lawsuit, but they lost in so many other ways: with current and potential customers, current and potential employees, lost time, productivity, and attorneys fees. The lesson:…

19

Sep

HR Law Training & Investigations, Sexual Harassment

New Research Shows Companies how to Create a Harassment-Free Workplace

By R. Makana Risser Chai

A June 2018 report on sexual harassment was released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Two years in the making, it compiled all the available research on…

19

Sep

HR Law Training & Investigations, Sexual Harassment

Hawaii Court: HR Personally Liable for Failure to Investigate Harassment Complaint

By R. Makana Risser Chai

The federal district court in Hawaii recently ruled that an HR director could be sued personally for aiding and abetting a hostile work environment when she failed to investigate a…

08

Apr

Harassment, Sexual Harassment

How Far Back Can Sexual Harassment Claims Go?

By R. Makana Risser Chai

With Senator Dan Inouye being accused in 2018 of sexual harassment that happened in the 1980s, celebrity #MeToo complaints going back 30 years, and Bill Cosby being tried for an…

08

Apr

Sexual Harassment

What You Need to Know About Sexual Harassment, You Learned in Kindergarten

By R. Makana Risser Chai

I have been an attorney for more than 30 years in Hawai‘i and Silicon Valley, specializing in sexual harassment. I wrote a chapter about it in my book for Prentice…

01

Apr

Sexual Harassment

EEOC Recommends Respectful Workplace Training

By R. Makana Risser Chai

The EEOC, the federal agency responsible for preventing sexual harassment, recently recommended that corporate training programs should include a discussion of workplace values like respect, and teach bystanders how to…