Ep156: Discrimination By Customer Request

HR Stories Podcast - A Lesson in Every Story!

HR Stories Podcast - A Lesson in Every Story!
Ep156: Discrimination By Customer Request
Mar 31, 2026 Episode 156
John Thalheimer, MS Org Leadership and Chuck Simikian, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

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When a patient requests that they re-assign a home-health nurse because they didn't want them to be black, the company made a dangerous and costly agreement to try and make the customer happy. Can customers make requests based on discriminatory reasons and, if they do, how do you handle it?

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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. 

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