It's OK to demand better behavior from bosses.

• Position: In The News...

Many employment lawsuits are sparked by perceived unfair discipline. ("He only got suspended, but I got fired!") That's why it's important to make sure managers apply discipline rules consistently among employees.

But as a new court ruling shows, one place that discipline doesn't have to be consistent is between managers and employees. It's fine to hold managers to a higher standard of conduct than regular employees--and then apply your discipline accordingly.

However, make sure your employee handbook outlines this greater expectation of manager behavior.

Recent case: Del, who is black, began work as a front-line employee at a Mississippi sporting goods store. In less than a year, he was promoted to manager. The company's disciplinary rules clearly hold supervisors to a higher standard of conduct than rank-and-file staff.

One day, Del got into an argument with a warehouse employee. Del then went to the employee's direct supervisor and told her...