By Margaret A. Graham, Attorney, Montgomery & Andrews P.A.
Employment discrimination is toxic for the employer, the perpetrator and the victim. It cripples productivity, creates a hostile work environment and hurts employee morale.
If allowed to continue, it can lead to costly lawsuits and damage a business’s image, reputation and brand.
The best way an employer can avoid being found liable for employment discrimination is to make equal opportunity the company standard — from recruitment to promotions, pay, benefits and training opportunities. Employers should know enough about employment law to recognize discrimination and the potential for discrimination when they see it and to ask for expert help if they are unsure.
The Internet has linked New Mexico businesses with a worldwide web of customers, and it’s also provided a universe of cost-cutting and time-saving tools that are simplifying many aspects of running a business. Better yet, many of these tools are free or affordable.
In 2011, New Mexico was authorized to receive $13.1 million from the U.S. Treasury Department as part of the State Small Business Credit Initiative — a product of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010.
