Colorado is banning sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace under a new amendment to the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA), joining the ranks of nearly twenty other states that have similar laws in place.
Some employment attorneys foresee a maelstrom of litigation. However, the Colorado Civil Rights Division anticipates receiving 80 calls annually, and only 10 cases with enough evidence to pursue legal action.
Employers in Colorado, or in other states with similar laws, may want to review with supervisors what behaviors could potentially be misconstrued as discriminatory.
DiversityJobs.com offers five tips for preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace (more details on their website):
- Understand current laws.
- Examine internal policies and procedures to ensure that they don’t discriminate against LGBT employees.
- Make sure employees understand and abide by company anti sexual orientation discrimination policies.
- Ensure that recruiting practices are fair and consistent.
- Publicly handle workplace harassment and bullying.
