HR Stories Podcast - A Lesson in Every Story!

Griggs vs Duke Power Supreme Court Ruling - Employment Testing and Discrimination

John Thalheimer, MS and Chuck Simikian, SPHR, SHRM-SCP Episode 28

Send us a text

In our ongoing series - Supreme Court Cases that Changed HR, we explore the Griggs v. Duke Power case, a lawsuit that involved intelligence testing that discriminated against a group of African-American employees. Willie Griggs was a Janitor that wanted an opportunity for promotion, yet the policies at his workplace prevented him from moving forward, despite the recent Civil Rights Act of 1964. So he and 13 other employees took matters to the courts. Eventually the Supreme Court made a unanimous landmark ruling that changed HR and employment law forever.

Education requirements are commonly seen at the bottom of a job description. Undoubtedly, there are circumstances where it is a very relevant requirement to have. Yet there are times when this can lead to discrimination if not handled correctly.  This Supreme Court ruling from 1971 gave us the concept of "Disparate Impact"....and it still a filter that influences how we approach and manage HR policies, procedures, and other HR endeavors (recruiting, training, promotions, etc.)

Chuck and John also talk about employee appreciation, some upcoming workshops and discussions around employee retention, and Kroger's pay system legal woes.

Additional Resources:
The Museum and Archives of Rockingham County (MARC)
EEOC Employment Testing Fact Sheet

Support the show

Our new book...The Ultimate Guide to HR: Checklists Edition is now AVAILABLE!

Go to
UltimateGuidetoHR.com to Get HR Right: and Avoid Costly Mistakes. Certified and approved for 3 SHRM Recertification Credits.

Join the HR Team of One Community on Facebook or visit TeamAtHRstories.com and sign up for emails so you can be the first to know about new things we have coming up.

You can also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @HRstoriesPodcast

Don't forget to rate our podcast, it really helps other people find it!

Do you have a situation or topic you’d like the team to discuss? Are you interested in having Chuck or John talk to your team or Emcee your event? You can reach the Team at Email@TeamAtHRStories.com for suggestions and inquiries.

The viewpoints expressed by the characters in the stories are not necessarily that of The Team at HR Stories. The stories are shared to present various, real-world scenarios and share how they were handled by policy and, at times, law. Chuck and John are not lawyers and always recommend working with an employment lawyer to address concerns.

People on this episode