Harassment can trigger personal liability.

Looking for a way to make sure your supervisors take harassment seriously? Remind them that harassing employees (or discriminating against them) doesn't just create liability for the company. It could become a big legal problem for them personally, too. Several federal laws and many more state laws make that possible.

Recent case: Detlef, who is Jewish and of German origin, worked for the Chicago Police Department. He sued his supervisor under the federal Civil Rights Act, saying the boss constantly made slurs about his religion and harassed him about his German origins.

A jury awarded punitive damages totaling $540,000. The supervisor appealed, noting that he had since retired and that...