Human resources development (HRD) programs may be covered by antidiscrimination, fair employment practices, particularly when HRD programs affect employment decisions. As such, applicant flow, adverse impact, and various kinds of validation studies may be indicated. Fair employment concerns also extend to potential religious discrimination and disability issues in training. Negligence in training design and administration is another liability that may exist. The underlying relationship between training and workers compensation is reviewed. Furthermore, the general conditions for negligence and malpractice in HRD are noted. HRD's role in due diligence examinations, although still emerging at this point, is discussed. Finally, the implications of the legal framework for HRD for both practitioners and scholars are reviewed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American With Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.
2.
Bailey et al. v. Southeastern Area Joint Apprenticeship Committee, 561 F. Supp. 895, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17975 (U.S. Dist. Court, N. Dist. WV, 1983).
3.
Bartlett, C. J. (1978). Equal employment opportunity issues in training. Human Factors, 20, 179-188.
4.
Bercaw et al. v. Domino's Pizza, No. 92-L-0256 (Cir Ct., Kane County, 1994), aff'd, 258 Ill. Ap. 3d 211, 630 NE 2d 166 (App. Court Ill., 2nd Dist., 1994).
5.
Bew, Conley, Griffin, et al. v. City of Chicago et al., 2000 WL 343495 (N. D. Ill, 2000), aff'd, 252 F.3d 891, 2001 U.S. App. LEXIS 9247 (7th Cir. 2001).
6.
Black, H. C., Nolan, J. R., & Nolan-Haley, J. M. (1990). Black's law dictionary (6th ed.). St Paul, MN: West.
7.
Bramson, R. N. (2000). HR's role in mergers and acquisitions. Training and Development, 54(10), 59-66.
8.
Burlington Industries, Inc. v. Ellerth, 524 U.S. 742, 118 S. Ct. 2257 (1998).
City of Canton, Ohio v. Harris et al., 489 US 378, 109 S. Ct. 1197 (1988).
11.
Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. 2000e-17 (2002).
12.
Copass v. Illinois Power Company, et al., 155 Ill. Dec. 600, No. 90L291 (Cir Ct., Champaign County, 1990), aff'd, 211 Ill. App. 3d205, 569 NE 2d 1211 (Appeals Court of Illinois, 4th Dist., 1991).
13.
EEOC v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., CIV-95-1200-RLP (U.S. Dist., D. NM, 1995), aff'd, 187 F.3d 1241, 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 20015 (10th Cir. 1999).
14.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (1999, June 18). Enforcement Guidance Vicarious Employer Liability for Unlawful Harassment by Supervisors (Notice Number 915.002). Washington, DC: Author.
15.
Eyres, P. S., & Moreland, W. H. (1994). Training and legal issues. Amherst, MA: HRD Press.
16.
Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, 524 US 775, 118 S. Ct. 2275 (1998).
Galpin, T. J., & Herndon, M. (2000). The complete guide to mergers and acquisitions: Process tools to support merger and acquisition integration at every level. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
19.
Gilley, J. W., Eggland, S. A., & Gilley, A. M. (2002). Principles of human resources development (2nd ed.). Cambridge, MA: Perseus.
20.
Gordon, S. E. (1994). Systematic training program design. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
21.
Griffin v. City of Omaha, CV-83-0-186 (D. Neb., 1985), rev'd, 785 F.2d 620, U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22684 (8th Circ. 1986).
22.
Grossman, R. J. (1999). Irreconcilable differences. HR Magazine, 44(4), 42-48.
23.
Himegarner, A. (1999). Mergers and acquisitions: HR transition model and issues to be considered when companies integrate. Society for Human Resources Management White Paper. Retrieved on February 5, 2000, at http://www.shrm.org/whitepapers/documents/default.asp?page=61109.asp
Holt, T. (1977). A view from Albemarle. Personnel Psychology, 30, 65-80.
26.
Jensvold v. Shalala, 925 F. Supp. 1109, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4774 (U.S. Dist. Court, Md., 1996).
27.
Kahn, S., Brown, B., Zepke, B. E., & Lanzarone, M. (1996). Legal guide to human resources. Boston: Warren, Gorham and Lamont.
28.
Kleinberg, J. (1998, September 29). 3 file claim over jail's mock crisis, inmate, mother, friend were near hostage exercise. The Press Democrat. Retrieved June 17, 1999, from http://www.pressdemocrat.com
29.
Kolstad v. the American Dental Association, 527 U.S. 526, 119 S Ct 2118 (1999).
30.
Labaton, S. (1994, May 29). Denny's gets a bill for the side orders of bigotry. The New York Times, p. 4E-4E.
31.
Long v. Ford Motor Company, 352 F. Supp. 135 (E.D. Mich, 1972), rev'd, 496 F.2d. 500; 1974 U.S. App. LEXIS 8905 (6th Cir. 1974).
32.
Malpractice. (1998). In West's Encyclopedia of American Law (Vol. 10, pp. 374-378). Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN: West.
33.
Marbella, J. (1994, October 9). Running the gauntlet: Diversity training is raising issues along with consciousness. The Baltimore Sun, pp. 1D, 6D.
34.
Mathiason, G. C., & Pierce, N. A. (1996). Hidden training requirements can create liability. Corporate University Review, 4, 26-27.
35.
Mathis v. Phillips Chevrolet, Inc., 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14343 (N.D. Ill, 1999), aff'd, 269F. 3d 771, U.S. App LESIX 21879 (U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Dist., 2001).
36.
Matthews v. Jones et al., No. 91-00388 (U.S. Dist. Ct, W.D. Ky, 1991), aff'd 35 F.3d 1046, 1994 U.S. App Lexis 25924, 1994 FED App. 0327p (6th Circuit, 1994).
37.
McKay, J., & Qureshi, I. (2001). Getting a head start on the deal's people issues. Mergers and Acquisitions, 36(7), 33-37.
38.
Miller, A., & Abramson, R. (1987, May 4). Corporate mind control. Newsweek, 61(1), 38-39.
39.
Mitchell, C. E. (1990). New Age training programs: In violation of religious discrimination laws. Labor Law Journal, 41(7), 410-416.
40.
Monell v. Department of Social Services of the City of New York et al., 436 U.S. 658, 98 S Ct 2018 (1978).
41.
Paramount Communications, Inc, and joined plaintiffs v. Time Incorporated, 571 A.2d 1140 (SCt. Del, 1990).
42.
Pile, L. A. (1993, January). The siren call of modern pied pipers. Employee Assistance, pp. 5-11.
43.
Rossman, R. (1998, September 22). Jail training exercise creates furor. The Press Democrat. Retrieved from http://www.pressdemocrat.com
44.
Rossman, R. (1999, April 14). Jail chief steps down: 5 officers face discipline. The Press Democrat. Retrieved from http://www.pressdemocrat.com
45.
Russell, J. (1984). A review of fair employment cases in the field of training. Personnel Psychology, 37, 261-276.
46.
Sample, J., & Hylton, R. (1996). Falling off a log and landing in court. Training, 33(5), 66-69.
47.
Schmidt, J. A. (2001). The correct spelling of M&A begins with HR. HR Magazine, 46(6), 102-108.
48.
Scott v. Coca-Cola, 583 F. Supp. 191 (U.S. Dist. Court, E. D. Mo, 1984).
49.
Sharpe, R. (1995, March 22). In whose hand? How Allstate applied Scientology methods to train its managers. The Wall Street Journal, pp. A1-A1
50.
Sharpe, R. (1995, March 22). In whose hand? How Allstate applied Scientology methods to train its managers. The Wall Street Journal, pp. A3-A3
51.
Sharpe, R. (1995, March 22). In whose hand? How Allstate applied Scientology methods to train its managers. The Wall Street Journal, pp. A4-A4
52.
Shields, K. (2000). What HR needs to review the due diligence. HR Focus, 77(10), S2-S3.
53.
Titmus, C. (1981). Strategies for adult education, practices in Western Europe. Chicago: Follett.
54.
Tort law. (1998). In West's encyclopedia of American law (Vol. 10, pp. 374-378). Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN: West.
55.
Truco Properties v. Faye Charlton, aff'd, 749 SW 2d 893 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 6th Dist., 1988).
56.
Uniform Guidelines of Employee Selection, 29 CFR 1607 (1978).
57.
United Steelworkers of America, AFL-CIO v. Weber et al., 443 U.S. 193; 99 S. Ct., 2721 (1979).
58.
Valenza, D. G. (1999, November/December). The Supreme Court creates a safe harbor from liability for punitive damages. SHRM Legal Report, pp. 5-8.
59.
Washington v. Davis, et al., 96 S.Ct. 2040 (1976).
60.
Wilmore, et al. v. the City of Wilmington, 533 F. Supp. 844 (D. Del, 1982), rev'd, 699 F.2d 667, 1983 U.S. App LESIX 30653 (3rd Cir. 1983).
61.
Workers' compensation. (1998). In West's encyclopedia of American law (Vol. 10, pp. 99-102). Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN: West.
