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In brief

With a surge in layoffs taking place over the past year, many of those originally hired to diversify the workplace have been impacted, and studies show that inclusion, diversity and equity (ID&E) professionals have been affected by layoffs at a higher rate than others. The harm? Other than potentially hurting employee morale and sidelining efforts to improve ID&E in the workplace, employers risk exposing themselves to litigation.

In this installment of ID&E IMPACT, our labor and employment team in the US and Canada explore employer concerns including an uptick in discrimination and harassment claims, the proliferation of claims based on pay disparity, bias claims arising from the use of AI in recruitment and hiring, and practical tips to mitigate risk from an ID&E perspective. 


Speakers: Krissy KatzensteinJennifer BernardoKaitlin Thompson

Key resources

Watch our related video chats and a webinar recording for more on this topic: 

Read further to see how our team is helping employers navigate ID&E in the workplace: 

Stay tuned and continue watching our ID&E IMPACT series where we share quick, practical insights on protecting and progressing ID&E goals in the workplace.

Follow the latest developments affecting US and multinational employers by subscribing to The Employer Report blog. This is where we share practical guidance and updates on the latest domestic and cross-border labor and employment law issues. Also, our video chats from The Employer Rapport are linked on the right-hand side bar of the page, providing quick and punchy discussions from our team on the biggest news you need to know!

Related episodes

You may access all related episodes from The Employer Rapport here.

Author

Jennifer Bernardo is a partner in the Employment & Compensation Law Practice Group in Baker McKenzie's Toronto office. As a litigator, Jennifer represents clients in labour, employment, and corporate/commercial law matters before a variety of administrative tribunals, labour arbitrators, and all levels of court in Ontario. Jennifer has been recognized as a "Rising Star" by Legal 500 and "One to Watch" by Best Lawyers in Canada. Jennifer is a frequent contributor to Baker McKenzie's Canadian Labour and Employment Law blog, and co-author of the Employment Contracts Handbook (4th ed.). She co-chairs the Toronto office's Pro Bono Committee, is a member of the Toronto office’s Inclusion & Diversity Committee, and is the Toronto office chair of the North America Baker Asian Lawyers Network.

Author

Krissy Katzenstein is a partner in the Employment & Compensation Practice Group in Baker McKenzie’s New York office. Krissy represents employers in a wide range of employment disputes, with a focus on class and collective actions involving systemic discrimination as well as federal and state agency investigations of systemic discrimination and harassment claims. Krissy was named a “Rising Star” in Employment Law by Law360 in 2019.

Author

Kate Thompson is an associate in the Employment & Compensation Practice Group at Baker McKenzie's New York office.