Legal Question

Isabella says her boss, Aiden, told her and five other women that they were his top employees but none of them would be offered promotional opportunities with the company. When asked for an explanation, Aiden told them that some of his traditional clients told him they would refuse to work with women, and if any of those clients decided to take their work to another vendor, he would suffer a significant economic loss. In private conversation, Aiden also told Isabella she should be patient because she was in the early stages of her career and therefore still has time to receive a promotion with the company. Please discuss whether Aiden's conduct violates any federal regulations and why. Please cite appropriate legal authority.

Advice Question

Mandy owns a large department store and wants her employees to feel connected to one another because she is confident this will inspire them to become better salespeople. For this reason, Mandy tells her staff that all future salary increases will be based on how thoroughly each employee becomes "immersed in the company's culture." Please discuss any potential reasons that there might be adverse legal issues regarding this policy. How should Mandy enforce this idea?