1. [From 10$/Pg] “ California Verdicts ”
[From 10$/Pg] “ California Verdicts ” “64-Year-Old Male Sues Staples for Wrongful
Termination and Age Discrimination”When Bobby Nickel was fired from Staples, he claimed
it was because of age discrimination, but Staples claims it was due to Nickel’s violation of
the company’s zero-tolerance policy. This activity is important because it examines the
sensitive issue of diversity and whether firms manage such issues effectively.The goal of
this exercise is to encourage you to look at whether firms are truly encouraging workplace
diversity across all levels—from gender to race to age.Read the case about the 66-year-old
Bobby Nickel who claims he was fired from his job at Staples because of his age. Then, using
the 3-step problem-solving approach, answer the questions that follow.Bobby Nickel, a 66-
year-old facilities manager for Staples Contract and Commercial, Inc., and Staples, Inc., was
fired. He claims the company discriminated against and harassed him and ultimately
terminated him due to his age.From 2002 to 2008 Nickel worked for Corporate Express,
which Staples then acquired. He received positive performance evaluations for nine years
before his termination.“Because Corporate Express’ pay scale had been higher than the pay
scale for employees hired by Staples, Nickel alleged in his complaint that his managers
noted that they needed to ‘get rid of’ older, higher paid employees. Nickel’s complaint also
explained how he became the regular butt of jokes at staff meetings and was referred to as
‘old coot’ and ‘old goat,” according to blogger Larry Bodine.1Further, Nickel claimed that
Lionel Marrero, his fulfillment center manager, regularly made harassing statements like,
“Take a closer look at the older people. They are starting to drag and are slowing down. If
they are not top performers, write them up and get rid of them.” It was also alleged that
Marrero said, “We need young, energetic people. Walk around the facility with the older
workers and if they cannot keep up, then get rid of them.… We need to get rid of old people
because they are slow. And we can get younger people to work cheaper.”2Nickel was
ultimately pressed by a manager to resign. When he didn’t, he experienced increased
incidents of harassment from coworkers and a manager. “This included being written up
and suspended for ‘stealing,’ after taking a bell pepper valued at 68 cents from the company
cafeteria.” A receptionist told Nickel she had been instructed by management “to provide a
false statement about Nickel’s conduct but she refused to do so,” said blogger Larry
Bodine.3Counsel for Staples contended that the company had cause to suspend Nickel
because he violated “the company’s zero-tolerance policy when it came to ‘dishonesty of
any kind, including theft or misappropriation of company property.’”4Apply the 3-Step
Problem-Solving Approach Step 1: Define the problem in this case. Step 2: Identify the OB
2. concepts or theories that may be causing the problem. For example, are stereotypes,
diversity climate, or frameworks for managing diversity causes of the problem? Step
3: Recommend what you would do to correct the situation. Think both short term and long
term. FootnotesL. Bodine, “64-Year-Old Man Awarded $26 Million in Age Discrimination
Case Against Staples,” February 28,
2014, http://www.thenationaltriallawyers.org/2014/02/64-year-old-man-awarded-26-
million–in-age-discrimination-case-against-staples/ (Links to an external
site.).VerdictSearch editors, “California Verdicts,” February 26,
2014, http://verdictsearch.com/verdict/company-discriminated-against-him-based-on-
age-plaintiff/ (Links to an external site.).L. Bodine, “64-Year-Old Man Awarded $26 Million
in Age Discrimination Case Against Staples,” February 28,
2014, http://www.thenationaltriallawyers.org/2014/02/64-year-old-man-awarded-26-
million–in-age-discrimination-case-against-staples/ (Links to an external
site.)VerdictSearch editors, “California Verdicts,” February 26,
2014, http://verdictsearch.com/verdict/company-discriminated-against-him-based-on-
age-plaintiff/ (Links to an external site.).Case Assignments: Unless otherwise noted in the
assignment instructions, these should be between 2-3 FULL pages in 11 or 12 pt font, using
APA format. You should have references and citations for these assignments as well. No
title page is necessary, but DON’T FORGET YOUR NAME!! You can find information on apa
format in the 6th edition APA manual, or
at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ (Links to an external site.).Case
Assignment Grading Rubric: Answer the questions completely 50% Use
APA Style 20% Writing
Style 20% (appropriate grammar, syntax, spelling,
mechanics, word usage, etc) Length Minimum 10%