| Small business owners are often unaware that the | | | | information, present or past history of mental disability, |
| employment discrimination laws apply to them. Since | | | | mental retardation, learning disability or physical disability |
| such business owners usually do not have the luxury | | | | (including blindness). Moreover, both state and federal |
| of having large human resource departments or | | | | employment discrimination laws prohibit harassment as |
| in-house counsel such businesses are often caught in | | | | well as discrimination. |
| the dark about their obligations under these laws. Any | | | | What does all this mean for you as a small or medium |
| employer that has 15 or more employees must comply | | | | employer? You need to ensure that you and your |
| with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ("Title VII") | | | | managers are familiar with the employment |
| and the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"). | | | | discrimination laws. This means that all employment |
| Employers with 20 or more employees must also | | | | decisions from hiring to firing need to be made based |
| comply with the provisions of the Age Discrimination in | | | | on job-related factors having nothing to do with a |
| Employment Act ("ADEA"). What do these laws | | | | person's age, race, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, |
| require? They require that you not discriminate against | | | | etc. It also means that your managers and employees |
| employees on the basis of the employee's age, | | | | need to be trained on the employment discrimination |
| disability, sex, race, color, national origin or religion. In | | | | laws and preventing sexual and other forms of |
| addition to these federal laws, there are also state | | | | unlawful harassment. In fact, Connecticut requires |
| laws that often apply to employers with very few | | | | employers with 50 or more employees to train all |
| employees. For example, in New York, the New York | | | | managers within six months of becoming a manager. |
| State Human Rights Law applies to employers with 4 | | | | The training must be legally compliant or it will not |
| or more employees and in Connecticut the state Fair | | | | satisfy an employer's obligations under the law. Small |
| Employment Practices Act applies to employers with 3 | | | | businesses should retain outside consultants to provide |
| or more employees. Many times these state | | | | their Anti-Harassment Training to ensure that such |
| employment laws prohibit discrimination against people | | | | training is properly taught. Our company, HR Learning |
| in protected classes in addition to those protected | | | | Center LLC provides employment law, sexual and |
| under federal law. So for instance, in New York, | | | | anit-harassment training and workplace violence |
| employers are prohibited under state law from | | | | prevention training to small and medium employers. |
| discriminating against employees based on their race, | | | | Please visit our website at |
| color, creed, national origin, military status, sex, age, | | | | This document has been provided for informational |
| religion, marital status, alienage or citizenship status, | | | | purposes only and is not intended and should not be |
| sexual orientation, disability or genetic predisposition or | | | | construed to constitute legal advice. Please consult |
| carrier status. In Connecticut, the FEPA prohibits | | | | your attorney in connection with any specific questions |
| discrimination based upon race, color, religious creed, | | | | or issues that may impose additional obligations on you |
| age, marital status, ancestry, national origin, sex, gender, | | | | and your company under any applicable local, state or |
| sexual orientation, pregnancy, breast feeding, genetic | | | | federal laws. |