No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Benevolent discrimination in the workplace

Heather M. Sager | Perkins Coie LLP

Heather Sager is the senior partner in Perkins Coie’s San Francisco Labor and Employment practice, where she leads a team of experienced attorneys who help provide advice, counseling, training, and litigation services to clients in a wide range of industries. Heather’s background includes extensive work in the technology, hospitality and retail sectors, where she has been leading counsel in numerous wage and hour class and collective actions in California and throughout the country. She is a frequent speaker on topics that help businesses evaluate and mitigate workplace risks, which she finds often leads to a more friendly audience than when she is speaking about litigation battles.

Kelsey Cropper | Perkins Coie LLP

Kelsey Cropper has provided advice and counsel related to all manners of labor and employment including drafting employment agreements for high level management employees and performing audits of client practices related to independent contractors.

With experience updating, drafting, and revising personnel handbooks and policies, Kelsey has an in-depth knowledge regarding policies related to FMLA, recruitment, discipline, employee grievances, military leave, drugs and alcohol in the workplace, and use of agency resources.

Kelsey has conducted workplace investigations for allegations of discrimination and harassment. She has also monitored workplace investigations for scope and compliance to state and federal laws, analyzed drafts of investigation reports and provided direction to investigators, and advised clients regarding the results of the investigations and potential disciplinary action.

I. Defining key terms – Diversity versus Inclusion, Respectful Workplace | 2:00pm – 2:30pm

II. Identifying Sources and Types of Implicit Bias | 2:30pm – 3:00pm

Break | 3:00pm – 3:10pm

III. Providing Suggestions to Mitigate Benevolent Discrimination | 3:10pm – 3:40pm