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With the #MeToo movement gaining momentum, more and more employees are coming forward with their stories of on-the-job sexual harassment and abuse. The Model Alliance has recently joined the #MeToo voices with the release of an open letter signed by 100 models, including Milla Jovovich. The letter demands contractual protection for models, so that they don’t have to fear being victimized by sexual abuse and harassment.

The RESPECT Program, which was described in the open letter, asks brands, media companies, modeling agencies and others in the industry to commit to providing safer working conditions to models and others. The letter references numerous unaddressed instances of sexual misconduct that has occurred in the fashion industry. The letter says that these instances of misconduct should be viewed as violations of human rights rather than public relations disasters to be covered up and reframed.

The letter says, “As models, our images serve a commercial purpose, but our bodies remain ours. Agreeing to be photographed or filmed as professional representatives of a product or brand does not constitute agreement to be groped, fondled, involuntarily disrobed or worse.”

The RESPECT Program asks models to talk about their stories of sexual harassment openly. The RESPECT program also wants a code of conduct that all employers and employees need to adhere to. This code of conduct will require training about the rights of employees who have been victimized by sexual harassment. It further seeks to establish an independent enforcement body that will investigate and rule on instances of sexual harassment and misconduct against models. In addition, it wants stricter contracts that lay out consequences for employers that allow sexual harassment to occur.

If you’ve suffered from sexual harassment at your workplace, it’s time to stand up for your rights. You don’t have to be a model or a Hollywood star to suffer from this kind of abuse at work. And you certainly don’t need to be a model or star to make your abuse stop once and for all.

Source: papermag.com, “Models Launch RESPECT Program to Address Sexual Misconduct In Fashion,” Vrinda Jagota, May 16, 2018

Most people feel awful when they get terminated from their jobs, but when a termination happens without a valid and lawful reason, it can be particularly mortifying. Not only that, but the wrongfully terminated worker will face the challenge of quickly finding employment before his or her cash reserves run out.

If you suspect you were terminated unlawfully, review the following list to determine if your case fits one of these common reasons for wrongful terminations to occur:

Termination due to discrimination: State and federal laws prohibit employers from terminating their employees because of the race, national origin, sex, sexual orientation and other protected reasons.

Retaliation: When an employee exercises his or her employment rights by complaining about unlawful employment practices, an employer may not fire the employee in retaliation.

Breach of contract: Terminated employees may want to review their employment contracts to determine if their termination happened in a way that conforms to their contractual agreements.

Protected leave: The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) protects a worker’s right to take time off in case of a family medical emergency and for other reasons, such as bringing a new baby into the home. Some employers unlawfully terminate employees who choose to exercise their FMLA privileges.

Failure to provide reasonable accommodations: Employers must provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities. Failure to provide accommodations could render an employee unable to do his or her job – resulting in a termination for lack of performance. This is unlawful.

Were you fired from your employment under unlawful circumstances? Regardless of how it happened, if you feel your termination was unfair, you might want to look deeper into the matter to determine if you were the victim of a wrongful termination.

It is standard practice in many industries for employers to have staff sign noncompete agreements. Companies create these types of employment contracts to protect their trade secrets and clients, but the agreements can have the unfortunate effect of seriously limiting an employee’s ability to pursue other career opportunities or otherwise advance. If you have found yourself in such a situation, there are several things you may be able to do.

The following are three common challenges to noncompete agreements that you may be able to invoke if your employer has made you sign one.

1. Lack of signature

It seems quite obvious that a legal contract must have your signature in order to be valid, but small errors such as a lack of signature could be the basis of your case. If your employer never obtained your signature–or if the appropriate personnel never provided a signature, either–you are legally off the hook. Look for other small details that may have been overlooked that may similarly free you from obligation.

2. Unfulfilled responsibilities

A noncompete agreement obligates both parties–you and your employer–to fulfill certain responsibilities. You have likely upheld your portion of the bargain, but you should read your contract to ensure that your employer has done the same. If, for example, the agreement indicates that your employer must provide specific training and this did not occur, you may be able to challenge the contract based on your employers’ failure to fulfill its responsibilities.

3. Change in relationship

Most noncompete agreements indicate specific parameters for an employee’s role, responsibilities and acceptable behavior. If your role in the company changes, it is quite possible that your original noncompete agreement will no longer be valid. Any change in position or major responsibilities should necessitate a new noncompete agreement, but employers often do not keep contracts updated.

The need for employers to offer their employees sexual harassment is vital. Given the recent surge in sexual harassment cases to hit the news, it certainly begs the question: If employers were more proactive in educating workers about what sexual harassment, how to refrain from it, how to recognize it and what to do if you’ve been a victim, would current #MeToo movement even be necessary?

Most employers are proactive in educating their employees about sexual harassment. Maybe what the #MeToo movement reveals is the fact that most, in fact, are not training their employees the right way.

According to the Association for Talent Development, 88 percent of organizations they polled provide some kind of formalized sexual harassment policy in writing to their employees. Meanwhile, 71 percent provide their employees with sexual harassment training.

Most of this sexual harassment training covers peer-to-peer and supervisor-employee sexual harassment prevention training. They also offer guidelines to help employees report when this kind of behavior happens to them and their co-workers.

So what gives? Why does sexual harassment continue in Florida workplaces? Part of the reason may relate to a larger societal problem, which the #MeToo movement and similarly-themed movements are trying to address. The more that society is able to see and recognize sexual harassment when it happens, the more willing victims will be to confidently speak up and bring the behavior to light rather than silently put up with it.

Now, as companies scramble to bring themselves and their employees up to speed on what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate behavior, it’s vital that employers train their employees the right way. It’s also vital that we — as friends, co-workers, bosses and fellow citizens — support all victims of sexual harassment in standing up for their legal right to a safe and healthy work environment.

Source: TD Magazine, “Majority of Companies Require Staff to Take Sexual Harassment Prevention Training,” Megan Cole, accessed May 03, 2018

We don’t stay young forever, that’s one of the surest things we can count on in life. However, just because we’re starting to show the signs of aging – or just because our birth dates are before the year 1965 – is not enough reason for employers to give younger workers our jobs or to reassign us to less meaningful positions. If this has happened to you, you could be a victim of age discrimination.

Imagine you’ve been working as a computer programmer for the last 30 years. As a senior member of the team, you’ve lead numerous projects and been given some of the most challenging tasks to complete. Your pay has also reflected your high-level contribution over the years.

The thing is, it seems like project after project have come and gone in recent years, and you have not been given your due. Instead of taking on the high-level tasks, you’ve been given increasingly less important work. Even worse, you’ve discovered that younger, less-experienced and less-educated programmers are being hired at a pay rate much higher than your own.

Phasing out older workers by paying them less and giving them boring job tasks is not uncommon. In some ways, this is a strategy meant to push older workers out and get them to quit their jobs due to the unsavory working conditions forced upon them. Don’t let this circumstance happen to you. As soon as you suspect you’ve become the victim of age discrimination, start building a paper trail of evidence and learn as much as you can about your legal rights and options.

One term has been on the tip of everyone’s tongue in recent months: sexual harassment. Employees want to make sure that they’re not being victimized by this abuse like their favorite Hollywood stars. Bosses want to make sure that sexual harassment doesn’t happen under their watch. And, would-be sexual harassers are trying to curb their behavior so they don’t get in trouble or lose their careers.

This kind of attention to the topic of sexual harassment might be stressful for anyone employed at a Florida workplace, but it’s a good thing. Eventually, we are going to end the prevalence of sexual harassment at Florida workplaces.

The Space Coast of Florida is also getting together to stop sexual harassment at its next Space Coast Human Resources Conference. The conference will be carried out next Wednesday in the Crowne Plaza Beach Oceanfront hotel. The topics the conference plans to address include the following:

• How to Avoid Becoming the Next #MeToo Headline: Ensuring Your Sexual Harassment Policy
• Training and Investigations Are Effective
• Acting with Respect
• The Only Workplace Drama You Need
• HR Leadership Lessons from Hollywood

Perhaps the last topic hits the nail on the head with regard to what’s going on across the nation right now. Americans are learning from the mistakes of Hollywood. If you have been victimized by any kind of harassment or unwelcome sexual comments or behavior at your workplace, you should know that the law is most certainly on your side. You can stand up, make your voice known and make your abuser — or abusers — stop their behavior once and for all.

Source: Florida Today, “Sexual harassment and workplace safety key issues at upcoming Human Resources Conference,” Wayne T. Price, accessed April 20, 2018