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A recent lawsuit involving the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) highlights a critical lesson for organizations: It’s essential to have unbiased processes and thorough documentation in HR.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff, a former employee described as a brown-skinned Egyptian Arab woman who had worked on SHRM’s educational design team for six years, filed a case alleging race discrimination and retaliation in 2022.
SHRM denied the allegations, stating the employee was terminated due to poor performance. But the judge ruled that the case would go to trial, citing discrepancies in documentation—such as positive performance reviews that contradicted SHRM’s claims.
A jury will ultimately decide whether SHRM’s investigation was legitimate. SHRM has said it is prepared to “vigorously” fight claims it maliciously engaged in race discrimination. That includes the plaintiff’s claim that their supervisor “systematically favored” white employees.
No matter the outcome here, it’s a situation that may have been avoided with sound adherence to a specific documentation process.
HR documentation helps mitigate bias.
This case is a reminder of how essential it is for HR departments to adopt solid processes that remove bias and ensure accountability. Bias, even unconscious, can easily creep into performance reviews, promotions, or daily
