Shareholder and member of the firm’s Labor & Employment group Amy L. Bess was recently interviewed by the Society for Human Resource Management Online in regards to the recent Ford Motor Company $10 million sexual harassment settlement. The article details the terms of the settlement, the strategies employers can employ to mitigate against racial and sexual harassment in the workplace and best practices to follow when harassment claims arise.

Ms. Bess commented on employers’ responsibilities to immediately identify and remedy harassment in the workplace. “Managers often don’t fully appreciate they are the eyes and ears of the employer.” She continued, saying when information suggesting a potential problem comes to a manager’s attention, even if it’s just gossip, the manager needs to act on it. If employees are talking about a situation and a manager hears about it, that’s “a big red flag.”

To read the full article and the rest of Ms. Bess’s comments, please click here.