ELI in the News

On February 26, the Government Accountability Office issued a report stating that training efforts to prevent sexual harassment in the federal workplace have been ineffective, and new measures are underway to address the issue. As evidenced by a 2023 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission report showing that sexual harassment has been the most common form of discrimination reported by federal agencies since 2011, the GAO made 14 recommendations

A new survey by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) revealed that many congressional staffers value civility at work—yet very few believe their workplace is civilized.The survey, partially funded by SHRM, found that just 1 percent of 135 senior staffers in the U.S. Congress were “very satisfied” with the state of civility in their workplace. Republican respondents (85 percent) were more likely than their Democratic counterparts…

Federal agencies — such as the Defense Department and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation — have been under fire recently following allegations of failing to adequately address workplace harassment. Just last month, the Government Accountability Office released a report revealing how current sexual harassment prevention training within federal agencies has fallen short of expectations, prompting a larger initiative to combat this pervasive is

The federal government received more charges of discrimination, filed more lawsuits and secured more monetary relief for employees in fiscal year 2023 than in the previous fiscal year. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC’s) latest annual report shows the agency secured more than $665 million to resolve discrimination cases in FY 2023—a 29.5 percent increase over FY 2022. The amount includes more than $202 million..

In FY 2023, the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) collected more than $665 million for victims of workplace discrimination. That’s a 29.5% increase over what it collected during the previous fiscal year, according to the agency’s latest annual performance report. It’s the largest amount ever collected in a single fiscal year in the agency’s history.

Workplace ethics — the ethical guidelines that define appropriate workplace behavior — are an important aspect of an organizational culture. Companies that live up to their ethical standards may notice that employees trust each other to do the right thing, which can boost performance and loyalty. Job applicants will want to join the company, and customers will be proud to say they do business with them.

The U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights recently opened an investigation into a complaint accusing Harvard University of failing to protect Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab students and their supporters from harassment, threats and intimidation, according to a report by The New York Times. The Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), which filed a civil-rights complaint that led to the investigation, alleged that more than…

Building a respectful and inclusive workplace is a constant journey, but the new year offers HR a vital chance to recalibrate with mission, vision and values. And in a potentially hostile election year, this reset is more crucial than ever. Recent findings from the Society for Human Resource Management’s The State of Global Workplace Culture in 2023 report reflect the grim reality of organizational culture: Globally, only about half of workers…

When Claudine Gay resigned as president of Harvard University on Jan. 2, she did so amid a swirl of controversy that was not only damaging to her personally, but also to Harvard overall. While Gay’s situation, which involved criticism over the university’s handling of antisemitism on campus and accusations of plagiarism, was highly unusual and unlike what most corporate leaders would ever face at one time, HR leaders can learn from her…