Dallas EEOC grounds SkyWest Airlines in discrimination lawsuit

A very recent Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) victory highlights the importance of solid HR investigations into harassment claims. Here are some lessons you should learn.

Claim

Sarah Budd worked as a parts clerk for SkyWest Airlines at Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport. She claimed her boss, Dallin Hansen, did the following:

·     Asked her if she “liked whips and chains and leathers”; and

·     Told her that he would “take her and sell her out there [so they could] make some money off of her,” implying she could work as a prostitute.

Taking his lead, her coworkers made comments on sexual positions, using lube, and rape, Budd claimed.

Result?

Report No. 1: She tells supervisor Dustin Widmer. Budd reported all of this to Widmer. He told her they would “see how it goes” because if he took action, it would “just put a target on [her] back.”

What followed was Act II in her ordeal:

·     An employee told her he had a “good face cream” for her.