Bereavement leave and family matters - Kudos to Texas Lawyer Michael P. Maslanka, who has penned a great bereavement leave policy for the 21st century. Simple and flexible, it reflects the changing view of "family" and gets our vote. And speaking of changes in the concept of family, Diane Pfadenhauer of Strategic HR Lawyer notes that the DOL is offering an expanded definition of son or daughter under FMLA.

Obligation to nursing moms - Workplace Prof Blog offers a reminder that the healthcare reform law includes a provision that employers must provide lactation breaks and space for nursing mothers and provides a link to a Department of Labor publication which explains the obligation: Fact Sheet #73: Break Time for Nursing Mothers under the FLSA.

Unleashing creativity - Looking for fresh ideas to unleash worker creativity? How about sitting int he CEO's office? Every summer, PR firm Conover Tuttle Pace holds a summer-long office swap - a fun idea that shakes things up and fosters more inder-departmental interaction. Leadership coach Mary Ellen Slayter might call this "getting out of your comfort zone," rule number one in her tips for unleashing your creativity.

A brave face - We've witnessed it time and again - the human spirit's incredible resilience in the face of overwhelming odds and the ability to survive and thrive after terrible catastrophe. In just such a vein, we were moved the story of Chrissy, gunshot wound survivor who recently got a new face, thanks to the miraculous and creative work of dedicated health professionals.

How to fight - In any organization, it's inevitable that there will be disagreements. Becoming a skilled fighter can take practice. At Harvard Business Review blogs, Robert Sutton offers tips for ensuring that dissension is handled productively in his post It's Up to You to Start a Good Fight.

Taking the pulse - What are your HR peers doing when it comes to issues like telecommuting, flextime and casual dress? BLR offers results from their survey of compensation and benefits professionals.

OSHA on safety programs - Does your company have a safety incentive program? If so, be aware that OSHA is scrutinizing safety incentive programs. They are looking for promotions that might discourage workers from reporting injuries. It might be a good time to review your policy. And speaking of OSHA, SafetyNewsAlert offers offers 10 dos and don'ts for OSHA inspections from 2 OSHA inspectors.

By the Numbers
101 social media marketing terms explained
7 of the biggest recent corporate image catastrophes
5 inexpensive ways to fly first class
10 expert tips for Microsoft Word 2010
5 grammatical errors that make you look dumb
7 summertime tips for people with diabetes to avoid heat-related illnesses

Posted by Julie Ferguson on August 8, 2010 at 2:18 PM | Permalink

Mental health parity - Joanne Wojcik of Business Insurance reports that pending issuance of mental health parity rules, the Labor Department will establish "an enforcement safe harbor under which authorities will not take any enforcement actions against employers that divide outpatient mental health benefits into two sub-classifications — office visits and all other outpatient items and services — as long as that arrangement applies to 'substantially all' outpatient medical/surgical benefits as well." For the full article, see Employers get more time to tweak mental health cover

Survey: keep your benefits stuff out of my social media - At Daily Diversion, Kelley Butler is mystified at the results of a recent survey by the National Business Group on Health, in which about 4 out of 5 of the social media users surveyed said "... they’re not interested in receiving information about their employer-provided health benefits, or tips on how to exercise, eat healthy or save money on health care via Twitter or text messaging. In addition, three in four said they had no interest in getting this information via Facebook." She speculates if this reluctance is due to privacy issues - wanting to keep a firm line between work and personal life - or if wellness is not something they care about.

Scam alert - Consumer Insurance Blog alerts us to recent FBI warnings about phone and social networking scams. It includes good links and resources to share with your employees. And member employers should make use of ESI's tools for online safety - see our newsletter describing ESI's Cyber Safety Resource Center

Telecommuting - Business Green reports that a recent study by the Telework Research network finds that telecommuting saves companies $10K per employee yearly, or a cool million for every 100 workers. The report also points to a $6,800 per year employee savings. Where do the employer savings come from?

"About half of the $1.1m that a company would save ($576,000) with 100 workers telecommuting halftime would come from increased productivity from fewer interruptions, better time management and employees putting in more hours by working when they would have been commuting.

Companies would also save $304,000 a year in electricity, real estate and related costs from parking lot leases, furniture, supplies, maintenance and space consolidation. About $113,000 would come from fewer unscheduled absences, less sick time and from employees working while sick or waiting for personal appointments (cable installation, delivery, etc.) that would normally result in a full day off of work. Lastly, $76,000 would be saved due to lower employee turnover."

"Adult obesity rates rose in 28 states over the past year. Only D.C. experienced a decline in adult obesity rates. More than two-thirds of states (38) now have adult obesity rates above 25 percent. Eight states have rates above 30 percent – Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia. In 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent. In 1980, the national average of obese adults was 15 percent."

ADA - How to Stop Accessibility Lawsuits Before They Stop You - employment law firm Jackson Lewis on what small businesses should know about the ADA.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on July 11, 2010 at 2:58 PM | Permalink

Social networking - Andrew R. McIlvaine of Human Resource Executive discusses a lawsuit that could have far reaching ramifications for social networking sites, depending on the ruling. The staffing firm TEKsystems charges that a former employee, one of their recruiters, breached the terms of a non-compete by communicating with people on LinkedIn, many of whom are former co-workers and clients. The recruiter now works for a competing firm, and according to charges, has engaged in email solicitation. It should be interesting to see how the court rules on this issue.

Trust building - As the economy improves, it's pretty normal for there to be some disruption in a work force. Many employees stick with their current employer during a downturn out of fear rather than loyalty - most people don't want to be the newest one in the door in a bad economy, so are reluctant to switch jobs. But as the job situation improves, more and more employees may be looking to change jobs. This may be particularly true if you've had to take any harsh measures to sustain your company during the downturn. Michael Stewart of Workforce discusses this and offers a prescription for Four Crucial Steps to Regain Employees' Trust.
Related: The art of apologizing.

Oil spill resources - Organizations with employees in any of the gulf states affected by the BP Oil disaster may want to brush up on oil spill resources available from NIOSH. Resources include information and training for protecting workers and emergency responders. Also see state government specific resources for gulf coast residents: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Related HR Lessons Flow from BP's Crisis

Health care reform - A User's Guide to Health Care Reform - AARP does a good job with this guide, which breaks down information that various groups need to know: If you’re now on Medicare;if you are uninsured or buying your own insurance; if you run a small business or work for one; if you have moderate or low income.

NY's Domestic Worker Bill of Rights - New York's Bill #S2311D may prove to be the nation's first domestic worker bill of rights: "It’s estimated that there are about 200,00 domestic workers in New York, 93% of which are women and 95% of which are people of color. Because the Bill covers all domestic workers – both legal and illegal – it’s been fairly controversial. Opponents decry the increase in regulation, which some say will result in fewer jobs. Many opponents also bridle against any protection for illegal workers, feeling that offers a legitimacy. Proponents say that it will go a long way to regulating an industry that has no standards or oversight and afford basic worker rights to a largely ignored worker population. Many of those in favor of the bill also think that shedding light on some of unregulated business segments which have historically been magnets for undocumented workers will be an important step in coming to grips with the hiring of illegal workers."

Word up - How does your vocabulary fare in comparison to the average new York Times reader? Check out the 50 most frequently looked-up words on the NYT, and check out the accompanying post on the topic, Fancy Words.

Making the grade - thanks to Evan Carmichael for including HR Web Cafe in his listing of the Top 50 HR Blogs to Watch: 2010 - check out the list for more good blogs.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on June 13, 2010 at 2:14 PM | Permalink

Digital privacy - Christopher McKinney of HR Lawyer's Blog gives us the background documents for the employee digital privacy case that is before the Supreme Court. The case centers on sexting by employees on digital devices supplied by the employer. It involves a police chief who read several SWAT team members' text messages without their consent because he wanted to see if what he deemed as excessive use of their pagers resulted from personal or work-related activities. The ScotusBlog offers a recap of the oral arguments that were presented. The Supremes seemed a bit stymied by some of the technology issues. According to Rob Salkowitz: "It wasn’t pretty. This band of geriatric jurists may know its habeas from its corpus, but they are non compos mentis when it comes to the fundamentals of modern communication." Hopefully, they will be quick studies - the case is expected to be decided this session. See also City of Ontario v. Quon at the SCOTUS Wiki.

Domestic violence - Kim Wells alerts us to a June PBS documentary Telling Amy's Story that puts a spotlight on domestic violence. It tracks the events leading up to a domestic violence homicide in central Pennsylvania. Parents, co-workers, law enforcement officers, and court personnel share their perspectives on what happened to Amy in the weeks, months, and years leading up to her death. Learn more and see a trailer here. Wells notes that Amy was a Verizon Wireless employee, and Verizon Wireless is a sponsor of this documentary. (See Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence)

Department of Labor - HR Lori has the lowdown on the new DOL guidelines on unpaid internships. And in another DOL initiative, employers can expect a heightened focus on employee misclassification, with a push on both the federal and state levels. Risk & Insurance reports that the Obama administration recently earmarked an additional $25 million in the DOL's proposed FY 2011 budget for a misclassification initiative. The plan calls for hiring 100 additional enforcement personnel to address the problem and to provide grants to aid states in addressing the problem. Prior studies have indicated that more than 3 million employees may be misclassified. A 9-state study by the DOL found as many as 30% of audited employers misclassified at least some employees.

Gender & leadership - Katie Kuehner-Hebert of Human Resource Executive reports on a new study on gender and leadership. OnPoint Consulting released the results of a two-year study of the "influence skills" of 223 leaders in organizations across the country, to examine the extent to which there are gender differences. Jennifer Forgie, a managing partner at OnPoint: "The conventional thinking was that female leaders tend to have more of a focus on relationships and have a more participatory style, whereas men tend to focus more on results, and the tasks at hand," Forgie says. "Some of our findings were consistent with conventional thinking about male and female leaders, and some were somewhat surprising."

10 ways to trigger a lawsuit - At HR Daily Advisor, Attorney Barbara Meister Cummins offers her picks for the 10 most lawsuit-attracting lines she hears from managers, part 1 and part 2.

New HR 'zine - Check out IFRACTAL Buzz Worthy - brought to you by the same organization that brings you the KnowHR Blog.

The Men of HR - The men of HR are semi-baring it all in a keepsake calendar to raise money for Haiti Relief and the Orchid Cancer Appeal (fighting male testicular cancer). Check out the promo video or order a calendar.

Short Takes

• Workplace violence prevention tips
• Workplace Bullying Gaining More Attention
• Equal Pay Day Marks Another Year of Unequal Pay for Women
• The Diabetes Prevention Program Is Cost-Effective
• Legal Alert: Breaking down the health care tax credit for small biz
• Trends in Annual Incentives: The Age of One Plan Fits All and the Ascent of Cash Flow
• The Psychological Concerns of the Soldier Amputee (PDF)
• The Myth of Perfect Productivity
• Medical Marijuana: Accommodation Required? Which Way Do You Think Oregon Went?
• The Exiting Employee

Posted by Julie Ferguson on April 25, 2010 at 7:50 AM | Permalink

Health care reform
At the Washington Post, Ezra Klein explains how the exchanges work. Also see How big is the bill, really?

For employers, Anne Freedman of Human Resource Executive suggests that uncertainty reigns. While most changes for employers won't be in effect until 2014 to 2018, she outlines some changes that go into effect this year.

The New York Times Prescription blog answers reader questions on the Health Care overhaul

At Kaiser Health News, Phil Galewitz offers a Consumers Guide to Health Reform. Kate Steadman and Julie Appleby talk about the immediate effects of the Health Reform Bill.

The Washington Post offers a cost calculator to help consumers learn the impact on their situation: What does the health care bill mean to me?

Specifics about the legislation - from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's page

U.S.A. Today looks at how health care overhaul affects taxpayers.

Kaiser Family Foundation has excellent information on health reform and its implications.

Other news of note
What you can learn from the movies - At Harvard Business Review Blogs, Rebecca Keegan looks at Avatar director James Cameron's business leadership style: " ...Cameron rarely fires people. "Firing is too merciful," he says. Instead he tests their endurance for long hours, hard tasks, and harsh criticism. Survivors tend to surprise themselves by turning in the best work of their careers, and signing on for Cameron's next project."

Campus violence - Assessing the campus threat - a risk management counselor says that workplace violence threat assessment teams are in place at most universities since the 2008 Virginia Tech shootings - but the challenge is in how to get people to report potential threats safely and legally.

Post recession landscape? How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America - the introduction to The Atlantic's article by Don Peck says that while the recession may be winding down, an era of high joblessness is probably just beginning, and it will likely change the life course and character of a generation of young adults and the character of our society for years to come.

Compensation costs - Employer costs for employee compensation - December 2009 (PDF) - Private industry employers spent an average of $27.42 per hour worked for total employee compensation in December 2009, according to a report issued last week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wages and salaries accounted for 70.8 of these costs, while benefits accounted for 29.2%. Of the benefits, 8.2% were for the cost of legally mandated benefits.

Planning for summer interns? HR Morning offers a set of 6 ironclad rules from the DOL about interns - noting that a violation of these rules could result in fines or legal fees.

Bad employees of the month - We've heard some creative excuses for why an employee needs to miss work, but one put forth by an officer at the Pasco County Sheriff's Office takes the prize. We should say former officer.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on March 25, 2010 at 2:25 PM | Permalink

High-dollar EEOC suits - and a new trend
Wal-Mart - $11.7 million in sex discrimination suit - "According to EEOC’s lawsuit, Wal-Mart’s London, Ky., distribution center denied jobs to female applicants from 1998 to February 2005. During that time period, EEOC contends, Wal-Mart regularly hired male entry-level applicants for warehouse positions, but excluded female applicants who were equally or better qualified. The EEOC alleged that Wal-Mart regularly used gender stereotypes in filling entry-level order filler positions. Hiring officials told applicants that order filling positions were not suitable for women, and that they hired mainly 18- to 25-year-old males for order filling positions, EEOC said."

Sears Roebuck & Co. - $6.2 million under ADA - the award will be distributed to 235 former employees who were denied reasonable accommodations when they tried to return to work after workers' compensation-related absences.

Male-Male Sexual Harassment Claims on the Rise - EEOC reports that charges by men have doubled since 1992, accounting for 16% of the 12,696 sexual harassment charges filed in the 2009 fiscal year. Cheesecake Factory learned the hard way with a $1.9 million settlement on a case of this nature in 2008.

Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act - confused about the changes in regulations and your obligations? Listen to Employee Benefit Advisor's 19 minute podcast by benefits attorney Cheryl Risley Hughes: Mental health parity rules: Heavy lifting ahead.

Quiz corner

• Having trouble communicating with your younger workers? Take the Pew Research Center's how millennial are you? quiz. Compare your answers to nationwide respondents, and see how you stack up against others your age.
• Now that you know your standing with the millennial crowd, how do you fare with the over 40 set? Take HRHero's short age discrimination quiz to see how well you handle some potentially litigious situations.

Sign of the times - Even Spider-Man joins the ranks of the unemployed. Maybe somebody out there has an opening for someone with a skill-set like his? He seems pretty talented.

Having fun - Cathy Leibow of Employee Benefit News says that instilling a sense of fun in the workplace builds loyalty and boosts output. She offers some concrete ideas for "fun at work" events. And related to fun, employment law attorney Mark Toth suggests that one of the best ways to avoid needless law disputes it so stay in touch with what your employees are thinking, feeling, and doing. He offers a fun list of potential March Employee Celebrations. (Did you know there was an international Mirth Month?) And if fun is on your agenda, you will want to periodically check in with funsmith Bernie Dekoven's Deep Fun blog for new ideas. On the other hand, some would suggest that the way to happiness is to work like a dog.

Handy privacy tools - This Guide to Facebook security & privacy settings was developed by The Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center to help parents minimize their kids' problems with Facebook - particularly cyberbullying. Even if you aren't a parent, it's good to be aware of some of the pros and cons of the privacy settings. Security experts at Sophos offer a more in-depth guide and recommendations for privacy settings.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on March 5, 2010 at 11:10 AM | Permalink

Safety news your employees can use - In the light of the massive Toyota recall, here's some useful safety advice you may want to get to your employees: Sudden acceleration: what to do if it happens to you - this includes a video for how to handle such a situation, as well as advice from Consumer Reports.

Union demographics - the union density rate was essentially unchanged in 2009 - 12.3% vs 12.4% in 2008. Among private sector employees, the rate dropped to 7.2% from the 2008 rate of 7.6%. See more union info at Workplace Prof Blog.

Impact of the recession on benefits - How did the recession affect large and midsize companies and what are their recovery expectations for the coming year? Read the new Towers Watson report of a recent employer survey: From Recession to Recovery: How Far, How Fast, How Well Prepared. Here's a peek at a few things that struck us: more than half of the responding employers - 51% - have seen an increase in employee hardship withdrawals from retirement savings. Last year, 23% of the reporting U.S. companies reduced their contributions to employee retirement plans, versus a global average of 10%.

Work-Life - Organizational consultant CV Harquail posts a thoughtful discussion on why Work-Life initiatives are the foundation of authentic organizations. She tackles three myths which often keep work-life as a side issue rather than a central issue in organizations: (1) Work-Life is a women’s issue, (2) Work-life initiatives are only for employees who can’t keep up, and (3) Work-life initiatives are 'nice to have' but not critical.

Too much fun - at the Harvard Business Review blogs, self-proclaimed humorless grinch Grant McCracken looks at the problem of forced fun as evidenced by corporate cultures like Zappos, and asks if it makes a corporation less well-informed and less responsive. His commentary has sparked a pretty lively conversation in the comments.

Cool tools

• Social Media Policies Database - Doug Cornelius, Chief Compliance Officer at Beacon Capital Partners presents a collection of 144 Social Media Policies from organizations ranging from media and nonprofits to government agencies and private businesses at Compliance Building. Thanks to Jottings by an Employer's Lawyer for the pointer.
• SlideFinder - Struggling with ideas for that upcoming presentation? SlideFinder is a specialized search engine that allows you to search and view publicly available PowerPoint presentations at the slide level. Search on numerous topics and get ideas for content, presentation style, and more.
• Affirmative and negative phrases when speaking about people with disabilities - the Office of Disability and Employment Policy offers a chart with helpful examples of language for communicating with and about people with disabilities. They also offer a list of etiquette suggestions for interacting with people with disabilities.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on February 4, 2010 at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Privacy & sexting - Do your employees have a right to privacy when sending explicit text messages on company-owned devices? Employee Benefit News reports that the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of City of Ontario v. Ouon in the spring. The case involves a police chief who read several SWAT team members' text messages without their consent because he wanted to see if what he deemed as excessive use of their pagers resulted from personal or work-related activities. In June 2008, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the police chief's actions represented a violation of the SWAT team members’ Fourth Amendment rights. Get your popcorn ready - this will be a case to watch.

Dueling pollsters - A recent poll commissioned by the Conference Board reported that American job satisfaction hit an all-time low. Given the economic climate and the overall tenor of the times, that's not too hard to believe. Unless, as Carol Morello of the Washington Post notes, you read competing surveys by Gallup and the University of Chicago, which show that job satisfaction has been remarkably stable over several decades. So your workforce is either very content - or it's not.

Obesity - In the L.A. Times blog Booster Shots, Shari Roan asks whether obesity is inevitable. A recent book on the topic answers affirmatively, saying that without major societal changes, it will be nearly impossible to reverse obesity trends. According to Martijn B. Katan, one of the book's authors, "Studies show that even the most motivated, thoughtful, strong-willed people have a hard time losing weight when huge portions of cheap, tasty, convenient food are available at every turn of the road, and when walking and other forms of exercise are superfluous or impossible." One of the major societal changes needed might be a serious shift in the way we spend our leisure time. A recent study by Australian researchers showed that each hour a day spent in front of television is linked with an 18% greater risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and an 11% greater risk of all causes of death, and a 9% increased risk of death from cancer. The culprit here is long periods of inactivity and sitting - true also of extended periods of computer use.

Green disputes - Leslie Kaufman of The New York Times reports on a new type of lifestyle issue that is surfacing in marriage counseling offices: an increase in green disputes. Couples are arguing about conflicting values related to recycling, exercise, diet, and overall commitment to the environment:

"While no study has documented how frequent these clashes have become, therapists agree that the green issue can quickly become poisonous because it is so morally charged. Friends or family members who are not devoted to the environmental cause can become irritated by life choices they view as ostentatiously self-denying or politically correct.

Those with a heightened focus on environmental issues, on the other hand, can find it hard to refrain from commenting on things that they view as harmful to Earth — driving an oversize S.U.V., for example."

The benefit of placebos - The Wall Street Journal Health Blog reports on a recent JAMA study showing that some popular antidepressants are no more effective than placebos:

"It suggests that both placebos and drugs help alleviate depression, and that the benefits of both placebos and drugs increase as the severity of the depression increases. As you move along the spectrum from mild to severe disease, the benefits of the active drug increase more than the benefits of the placebo. So for patients with severe depression, the active drug works significantly better than the placebo."

Posted by Julie Ferguson on January 19, 2010 at 8:45 AM | Permalink

We've received notice that several of our clients are concerned about relatives and loved ones who are missing in Haiti. Other clients have asked us about ways their organizations can help. We will use this post to link to helpful resources, and will update our list when we find additional resources:

Looking for loved ones in Haiti
The U.S. Embassy in Port Au Prince has set up a task force at the Embassy which is taking calls as conditions permit. The Embassy is working to identify Americans in Haiti who need urgent assistance and to identify sources of emergency help.

• Americans are urged to contact the Embassy via email at ACSPaP@state.gov to request assistance
• Americans in Haiti can call the Embassy’s Consular Task Force at 509-2229-8942, 509-2229-8089, 509-2229-8322, or 509-2229-8672.
• The State Department has also created a task force to monitor the emergency. People in the U.S. or Canada with information or inquiries about U.S. citizens in Haiti may reach the Haiti Task Force at 888-407-4747. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, call 202-501-4444. Note: due to heavy volume, some callers may receive a recording.
• To reach or find Haitian residents, the Red Cross recommends that callers continue to call or text family members who live nearby.

Family Links - The aim of the Family Links website is to accelerate the process of restoring contact between separated family members. It is managed by the ICRC, in cooperation with the tracing services of the Haitian Red Cross Society and of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies throughout the world. At this stage, the website offers the possibility for persons in Haiti and abroad to publish the names of relatives with whom they are striving to restore contact. It will progressively incorporate information offering responses to those queries. (Note: The ICRC has no means of verifying the information sent through the network. It is not responsible for any inaccurate information given through the services made available on this site.)

How you can help:
Red Cross: People can make an unrestricted donation to the International Response Fund at www.redcross.org , or by calling 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767). The public can also help by texting “Haiti” to 90999 to send a $10 donation to the Red Cross, through an effort backed by the U.S. State Department. This donation will be charged to your next cell phone bill. Funds will go to support American Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.

Clinton Bush Haiti Fund:

• Online donations page
• Text the word "QUAKE" to 20222 to donate $10 to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, charged to your cell phone bill
• Mail to: Mail: The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund / c/o William J. Clinton Foundation / Donations Department / 610 President Clinton Avenue / Little Rock, AR 72201 - OR -
  The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund / c/o Communities Foundation of Texas / 5500 Caruth Haven Lane / Dallas, TX 75225

Other resources:

• USAID: How You Can Help
• CNN: Impact Your World - Haiti resources
• MSNBC: Haiti Earthquake: How to Help
• Huffington Post: Haiti Earthquake Relief: How You Can Help

Scam alert
FBI warning of Haiti earthquake scams

• FBI says don't click on links or files in unsolicited donation request e-mails
• Do not ever donate cash; don't give your credit card info to people phoning for donations
• Ask if charity is registered and what percentage of money goes to victims

• CNN: Haiti Earthquake
• CNN: What we're hearing via social media - CNN is monitoring tweets and other messages from people in Haiti and reports from those who said they have been in touch with friends and family. CNN has not been able to able to verify this material.
• New York Times: Haiti coverage
• Also: live Haiti news blogging on the NYT news blog, The Lede.
• Miami Herald: Ongoing coverage of the earthquake in Haiti

• CNN list: @cnnbrk/haiti http://twitter.com/cnnbrk/haiti
• NPR list: @nprnews/haiti-earthquake http://twitter.com/nprnews/haiti-earthquake
• Haiti reporters list @huffingtonpost/haiti-reporters http://twitter.com/huffingtonpost/haiti-reporters
• Governmental and non-governmental organizations: @huffingtonpost/haiti-ngos-government http://twitter.com/huffingtonpost/haiti-ngos-government

Managing trauma in the workplace
Workplace Critical Incident Resources from the Employee Assistance Professional Association. In particular, see their page on Haiti resources and the following information on traumatic events:

• Identifying traumatic reactions in the workplace
• Symptoms: Impact from a traumatic incident
• Ideas for managers: Supporting a grieving employee
• Tips for managers after a workplace critical event
• Coping with Traumatic Events - National Institute for Mental Health

Posted by Julie Ferguson on January 14, 2010 at 9:56 AM | Permalink

Joseph Grenny of Crucial Skills teams up with his HR Manager to offer tips for handling a prickly issue: Addressing Inappropriate Work Attire

If your budget is tight this year - and whose isn't? - it may threaten to tank any holiday celebrations. Roy Sanderson of MANAGEsmarter offers 10 ideas for saving the holiday party.

Fionna Gathwright of Corporate Wellness Insights suggests tips of staying healthy during the holidays. Also see holiday health tips from The Monster Blog.

Workforce reports on two recent surveys that track employee discontent. The upshot? People are expressing frustration. In a a survey of 904 workers in North America by advisory firm Right Management, 60% of those surveyed said they intend to leave their firms as the economy improves. In a survey of 1,627 employed executives by consulting firm Finnegan Mackenzie and business network ExecuNet, more than 50% said they are looking for a new job.

Susan M. Heathfield of About.com: Human Resource explores what causes employee negativity. She also offers links to posts on tips and cures for negativity. Go weigh in with your opinion of what causes negativity in her reader poll.

HR Daily Advisor offers the reminder that how you treat employees in their time of greatest personal need can have an impact on their overall attitude to their employment: Bereavement Leave Can Make or Break Employee Loyalty

Mark Toth of Manpower Employment Blog tell us that ICE recently announced it is targeting 1,000 employers to audit hiring records for compliance with employment eligibility requirements. He offers employer tips and links to resources to ensure compliance.

From violating fair wage and labor laws to sending threatening, obscenity-laden e-mails to the workforce, it seems like the NYC eateries could use some refreshers in basic HR. In our bad-employers-of-the-week category, see this Village Voice article on When restaurants behave badly (Note: objectionable language alert for this article).

Posted by Julie Ferguson on November 30, 2009 at 11:46 AM | Permalink

Follow up - No sooner did we post about Zappos great corporate culture when Jeff Bezos of Amazon up and bought the company "...for 10 million shares of Amazon stock, worth nearly $900 million at its current level," in addition to $40 million in cash and stock for employees. Coincidental timing, we had no insider knowledge! Kris Dunn of HR Capitalist posts about the cultural changes that are likely to ensue.

Safety game - Take the text while driving game to see how you fare when you multitask while driving.

Minimum wage - As of last Friday, the federal minimum wage increased to $7.25 download an updated Minimum Wage posting notice.

Best practices
KnowHR is featuring a three-part guest post on "what's right with HR" anonymously authored by a senior HR executive at a well-known company. Part One: Great HR is invisible; Part Two: Great HR is invisible because Great HR people like it that way; and Part Three: Great leaders expect their HR people to be great.

Minding the Workplace offers the “Eightfold Path” to a Psychologically Healthy Workplace, a questionaire designed to help determine whether or not a workplace is psychologically healthy, productive, and socially responsible towards its own workers.

Legal matters - Mark Toth of Manpower Employment Blawg posts about the $35 million settlement Wal-Mart will pay in a class action suit which alleged that 88,000 Washington employees were forced to skip rest and meal breaks or work off the clock.

Military matters - Fistful of Talent notes that an estimated 185,000 military service members will be entering the work force this year and offers a good post on how to interview a veteran.

Wellness - Fiona Gathrwight of Corporate Wellness Insights posts that the proposed Senate Health Reform Bill would expand wellness incentives.

Bad bosses - In HR Daily Advisor, author Lynn Taylor offers some tips from her book Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on July 27, 2009 at 9:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Michael Fox of Jottings By An Employers Lawyer discusses the recent Supreme Court ruling in the New Haven firefighter case. Mark Toth of Manpower Employment Blawg also offers his thoughts what the Supreme Court ruling means to employers.

David Greenspan of Suits in the Workplace talks about a recent Supreme Court ruling that makes it more difficult for workers to establish age discrimination. That is, unless a careless email actually makes the case for a prospective applicant.

Mark Harbeke of Winning Workplaces posts about a research study on Flexibility best practices for shift workers and admins.

Jay Shepherd of Gruntled Employees asks: Does your company need a smartphone policy?

HR Daily Advisor notes: Mid year poster compliance check - are you in compliance?

Looking to improve your public speaking and communication skills? Six Minutes is a public speaking and presentation skills blog which offers tips, analysis, insights, and links to some of the blogosphere's best weekly public speaking posts.

David Silverman offers some practical tips for keeping your e-mail inbox under control at HarvardBusiness.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on July 6, 2009 at 2:28 PM | Permalink

At George's Employment Blawg, attorney Ellen Simon has a great post on stereotyping as discrimination. She notes that there have been numerous gender discrimination cases won by women and turns her sights to a recent, rare example of a successful gender stereotyping case filed by a male in Sassaman v. Gamache.

Fiona Gathwright at Corporate Wellness Insights posts about how Safeway's wellness program cuts costs - while other employers have seen premiums increase by 38% over the past four years, Safeway has held costs level over the same period. Related: HR Daily Advisor featured two recent tips on building effective wellness programs: Effective Wellness Means Branding, Integration and Corporate Wellness—Real World ROI of '4 Plus 5'.

Ah, we've just learned that Evil HR Lady has an alter ego at U.S.News, where she also posts - go catch up on some of her great articles over there.

Visit last weeks' Health Wonk Review over at Managed Care Matters to get a broad sampling of opinions on healthcare reform from the perspective of healthcare policy bloggers.

Ever had that disagreeable person in your group when you are giving a presentation or a training? Thoughts from Training Time offers some good tips on how to deal with disruptive trainees.

Wally Bock's Three Star Leadership Blog is a frequent source of good business links and this week, is no exception - he points us to: Employees linking work, social media, an article about how some employers are dealing with policies related to web-based social media, and a post from an organizing expert with tips for decluttering your life.

Jay Shepherd of Gruntled Employees offers a swine flu prescription for employers: eliminate sick days.

The tough economy is forcing employers to make tough choices when it comes to benefits. Jeffrey Hirsch of Workplace Prof Blog posts about what some might arguably see as the unkindest cut of all.

Resources for your wellness program: Healthy Eats - a blog by a team of team of culinary and nutrition professionals offering healthy tips, nutrition news, low-calorie recipes and more, and Balanced Health & Nutrition - a blog by a registered dietitian offering food, nutrition and exercise information.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on June 15, 2009 at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Change is in the air - Michael at Human Race Horses tells HR managers that, "Your world is going to change one way or the other. Get ready!" Check out his must-read post about 7 People Who Will Change Human Resources in 2009.

To tweet or not to tweet? - Melanie Holmes of Contemporary Working has some interesting statistics about the prevalence of social networking tools. But should we be concerned about the ubiquity and 24/7 nature of work communication that these new tools afford? Are social networking tools addictive? Jeffrey Hirsch of Workplace Prof Blog raises the issue of whether employers could have any liability for technology addiction. Related: Charlotte Huff has an excellent article that discusses Staying Afloat in a Digital Flood at Workforce.

Wellness incentives - Fiona Gathright of Corporate Wellness Insights looks at a recent study on the use of incentives in wellness programs. She also reports that there is some political support for incenting employers to enact wellness programs, but notes that it will be important to set the right tone for such programs. David Williams of Health Benefits Blog talks about the flip side of the coin in his post on the ethical considerations of financial penalties for unhealthy behaviors.

Gender identity - Michael Fox of Jottings by an Employers Lawyer posts about transgendered workers in the mainstream press, citing a statistic that 322 major companies have added gender identity to their diversity programs.

Work-life balance - Thoughts from Training Time reports that a fear of layoffs is affecting employee vacation plans - many are deferring because they fear a temporary absence from the workplace could lead to a permanent one. The post suggests several tips for managers to help their employees allay their anxiety and avoid burning out. Related: Freek Vermeulen makes the case for work-life programs in Harvard Business.

Longevity - There are about 250,000 centenarians alive today, including several hundred "supercentarians" aged 110+ years. Find out your chances of reaching 100.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on May 15, 2009 at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Unleash the power of conflict - A new study found that groups work better if they are infused with a "socially distinct newcomer" - someone different enough to bump the rest of the team out of their comfort zone. Jared Shelly of Human Resource Executive reports on the study.

The Top Five Innovation Killers - "Innovation has never been more important to companies as it is now. The recession is creating new needs and new forms of value are needed to fulfill them. Yet there remains a yawning gulf between business leaders’ rhetoric on innovation and the reality on the ground. So what holds our companies back, and why is breakthrough innovation so rare?"

Diabetes pilot program yields big cost savings - Joanne Wojcik of Business Insurance tells us that the results of the "10 City Challenge" pilot were so promising (average reductions in per-patient health care costs of $1,079 a year, for example) that the program will be extended to employers nationwide.

10 Worst Employees of 2008 - we offered a few suggestions for 2009 earlier in the week - CareerBuilder gives you their list from 2008.

A twitterable Twitter policy - Jay Shepherd of Gruntled Employees offers a sensible Twitter policy in 140 characters or less.

Social Media for HR Professionals Beyond LinkedIn - Jennifer McClure, aka CincyRecruiter offers a great overview of a recent presentation she made on harnessing social media for HR.

BlackBerry Tips From The Top - "Secrets from CEOs for whom the little hunk of hardware is the life breath of work efficiency."

Reinventing the conference call - Seth Godin has a suggestion that might help to improve your next conference call.

Cardiovascular risk calculator - estimate your chance of a cardiac event, dying from heart disease, and your overall chance of dying in the next 10 years. This might be a good tool for your employee wellness program since some portion of the risk can usually be ameliorated by lifestyle changes.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on April 24, 2009 at 9:23 AM | Permalink

Social media done right - Wondering how your company can harness social media in its communication efforts? Jason Corsello of The Human Capitalist points us to this example of a company that is an innovator in social collaboration.

Bosses - Susan M. Heathfield of Human Resources Blog offers a post highlighting one of her reader's comments about
micro-managers. See other thoughts on bad bosses elicited from reader comments after a poll on the topic. And while on the topic of bosses: Corporate Wellness Insights weighs in with thoughts on three effective management styles. And Wally Bock of Three Star Leadership Blog reminds bosses everywhere that now is not the time to hunker down - the times demand leaders who are leading from the front.

Telecommuting - Jim Ware of The Future of Work Weblog considers the question of whether telecommuting is dangerous for your future in today's economic times - does the out-of-sight-out-of-mind principle apply, or is it a useful alternative to layoffs. He links to a roundup of recent stories on telecommuting in the business press.

FMLA compliance - The folks over at Suits in the Workplace have been doing a superb job posting about new FMLA regulations - they are midway into a 5-part series.
Part 1: Employer Notice Requirements - New FMLA Regs
Part 2: Employee Notice Requirements - the Bright Side
Part 3: The Certification and Recertification Process: The Who? The What? & The When?
In upcoming postings, they will cover the topics of military caregiver leave and qualifying exigency leave.

Job descriptions - HR Daily Advisor offers some excellent advice on job descriptions in two recent postings: Non-Prejudicial Language for ADA Job Descriptions and 'Other Duties as Assigned’ Won't Cut It in 2009

Identity Theft - Consumer Insurance Blog reports on a recent study on identity theft. The bad news: it's on the rise. The good news? The per incidence cost is decreasing. The study also showed that most compromised data is due to low-tech methods, such as lost or stolen wallets, checkbooks, and credit and debit cards.

Training - Thoughts from Training Time posts about the good, the bad, and the ugly in recent news reports that cover employee training issues.

By the numbers
14 Tips for Employers Seeking Alternatives to Pink Slips
10 Things You Can Do About Domestic Violence
10 Business Words to Ban
5 Winning [Recruiting] Strategies for Managers in Tough Times
5 Tips for Managing Change
4 strategies that young and first-time managers can use to tackle new responsibilities

Posted by Julie Ferguson on March 24, 2009 at 8:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Bullies - Forbes talks about Corporate Bullies, noting that while some executives may find an aggressive style helps them claw to the top, they often can't sustain their reign. Don't miss the story's sidebar: The bully bosses hall of fame.

Leadership - How to lead through change - an interview with Kevin Cashman, leadership author. The Human Capitalist talks about critical skills that differentiate leading-edge HR executives.

Conflict - a recent Canadian study on workplace conflict identifies the causes and effects of workplace conflict in Canada. While conflict can have crippling effects on productivity, staff engagement and working relationships, the report also found that when properly managed, conflict actually benefits organizations, leading to major innovations and better solutions to problems.
Related: the Vertabase Blog offers a simple trick to end team turmoil - the "say it to my face" policy.

Humor
*If you didn't yet see the CareerBuilder Super Bowl ad, it is indeed pretty funny: If you hate going to work every day....(video)
*A creative new use for those sticky notes (video)
*Having trouble getting up in the morning? the Nanda clock might cure what ails you.

By the numbers
*Three mistakes to avoid when cutting jobs
*5 must-use social media tools for HR & recruiting professionals in 2009
*5 more must-use social media tools for HR & recruiting professionals in 2009
*10 mistakes trainers make

Posted by Julie Ferguson on February 15, 2009 at 2:10 PM | Permalink

Bike to work - While falling gas prices have temporarily taken some of the economic sting out of a commute, tight budgets still cry out for frugality. Plus, there is more at stake than just economy - many are looking to establish commuting habits that are more environmentally friendly, such as biking, which also offers health and fitness advantages. There is good news for employers who want to foster the healthy "bike to work" habit work among their employees and offer a new benefit to boot. Beginning this year, the Bicycle Commuter Act will allow employers to provide employees a tax deductible benefit of up to $20 per month for riding to work. Employees can use the money for bicycle purchase and upkeep.

Economic stress and health - According to a recent AARP survey, one in five adults ages 45 and older are suffering health problems due to financial stress. "Right now people are increasingly concerned about their jobs, retirement savings and simply being able to provide for their families and it's taking a major toll on their health," said Bob Gallo, AARP Illinois Senior State Director. "It's a harsh irony that worrying about being able to afford health care is actually causing health problems."

The "Fraudies" of 2008 - Dawn Wolfe of George's Employment Blawg presents a new award for dubious achievements called "The Fraudies." Employee fraud winners were chosen based on "cunning audacity" and "the farcical nature of their career-limiting schemes."

Memory screenings - Wellness Corporate Insights posts that in November, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) gave free memory screenings at over 2,000 health fairs across the country. Early identification of Alzheimer’s allows individuals to start treatments that slow the development of symptoms. The post offers a reminder that disease-specific screenings and fairs are often tied to specific months, and suggests keeping a health awareness calendar on hand and alerting employees to local health screening events.

Form I-9 - Mark Toth of Manpower Employment Blawg reminds us that a new year means a new I-9 Form. Thoughts from Training Time offers advice on ensuring compliance.

Cool tool - Google has a new, free 411 service that is fast and easy to use. Dial 1-800-GOOG-411 from any phone. State what you're looking for and GOOG-411 will connect you with the business you choose. If you are calling from a mobile device, the service can even send you a text message with more details and a map. Simply say "Text message" or "Map it." Learn more at Goog411.

Quick takes
IRS: 2009 Employer's Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits (PDF)

The 10 worst presentation habits

10 Universities Offering Free Writing Courses Online

This fellow may get our nomination for the worst boss of 2008.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on January 12, 2009 at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

What do mathematicians and lumberjacks have in common? According to an article in the The Wall Street Journal, they represent the two extremes in a recent study of the best and the worst jobs. The study evaluates 200 professions against five criteria: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress. According to WSJ:

"The findings were compiled by Les Krantz, author of "Jobs Rated Almanac," and are based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, as well as studies from trade associations and Mr. Krantz's own expertise."

You can find a complete listing of the 200 jobs that were analyzed at careercast.com, a new job site. We did not find human resources manager on the list but thought that maybe the role could be extrapolated from some that are on the list: Personnel Recruiter (58), Parole Officer (14), Sociologist (8), Corporate Executive (88), and Psychiatrist (100).

It's fun to look at the various jobs and where they fall on the list, but the real interest and potential usefulness lies in the methodology that was used to assess and rate the jobs. You might think about measuring the most common jobs in your organization against this matrix to see how they stack up, and think about ways to narrow the gap between the best and the worst in your own organizations. At the very least, the employees who hold the "worst" jobs in your organization might merit a referral to an EAP - we found the 21 factors that comprise the stress ratings particularly interesting because many of these stress factors are cited by employees that we counsel.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on January 6, 2009 at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Year end is a time for a look back and a look ahead. For a good wrap-up of major work-related stories of 2008, Human Resource Executive offers The Year in Review, which helpfully links back to the original stories. Glassdoor.com compiled a list of Naughtiest and Nicest CEOs of 2008.

And for a look in the "how not to do things" department, HR Blunders offers their list of the top 10 HR blunders of 2008. In a similar vein, see The Globe and Mail's The office awards 2008.

For a pictorial review of news events in the year, see Boston.com's year in review from The Big Picture: Part 1, part 2 and part 3. It's not specifically work-related in focus, but pretty awesome nonetheless.

With 2008 nearly over, many are looking at how to do things better in 2009. Here are a few lists that we found noteworthy:

Gloria Ju of HR Soapbox offers HR resolutions for 2009 aimed at keeping you on the right side of the legal tracks.

Reliable Plant weighs in with their list of top 10 professional resolutions for the new year.

With the lines between work life and home life converging, journalist Judy Martin offers her top 10 work-life resolutions for 2009.

Everyone is feeling effects of the bad economy to a greater or a lesser degree. In Financial Resolutions and retirement resolutions, personal finance experts weigh in on getting your financial house in order by reducing your spending and planning for your short- and long-term financial goals.

Susan M. Heathfield of About.com's Human Resources offers her top ten resolutions for the new year. We should note that we are still working on her excellent list of resolutions for 2008

Forbes offers a pictorial slide show of New Year's resolutions for CEOs. These tend to focus on large company CEOs.

Business guru Tom Peters reflects on the business meltdown and offers "back to the basics" advice for going forward.

Green Options suggests five smart and fast office resolutions to help your organization be more environmentally responsible in 2009.

If your resolve for change is failing, you might check out 10 reasons to design a better corporate culture an excerpt from The Ownership Quotient, a book by Harvard Business School professors Jim Heskett and Earl Sasser and coauthor Joe Wheeler. Thanks to Wally Bock of Three Star Leadership for the pointer.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on December 30, 2008 at 7:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From our bookmark file, here's a grab bag of links that we thought were worth sharing:

Communications - Meridith Levinson of CIO posts about 10 Things You Should Never Write in an E-Mail or Instant Message:
1. "I could get into trouble for telling you this, but…"
2. "Delete this e-mail immediately."
3. "I really shouldn't put this in writing."
4. "Don't tell So-and-So." Or, "Don't send this to So-and-So."
5. "She/He/They will never find out."
6. "We're going to do this differently than normal."
7. "I don't think I am supposed to know this, but…"
8. "I don't want to discuss this in e-mail. Please give me a call."
9. "Don't ask. You don't want to know."
10. "Is this actually legal?"
Check out her excellent post for further elaboration.

Compliance - Workforce notes: "As employers consider adopting nontraditional schedules, what some of them are not doing is taking a clear-eyed look at the wage and hour ramifications of these arrangements. There are potential pitfalls—under both federal wage and hour law and the requirements of other jurisdictions—that demand close attention." The Legal Implications of Nontraditional Workweeks

Productivity - For inspiration motivation, and just because it's interesting, check out Daily Routines, a blog about how writers, artists, and other creative people organize their days. Featured items are culled from books, newspapers, magazines, and Web sites.

Social networking - many of you are texting and instant messaging with abandon already, but for those of you who feel left behind, Dennis Kennedy's Get the (Instant) message, Dude is a good primer. Also see Everything You Need to Know About Twitter but Are Too Chicken to Ask from Traction Marketing.

Survey reveals economy is taking a toll on middle manager morale - Nearly two-thirds of U.S. middle managers say the economy is having a negative impact on their work environments - according to a recent survey by Accenture.

Cool tools
Translation - Do you have a multi-lingual work force? If so, then Nice Translator might be a useful tool. First, pick from one of about 30 languages, and then begin typing in English and your words will be translated in real time as you type. We tested it on Spanish and it worked pretty well.

Connections - If you work at home or in a small office, making conference calls can be a challenge. Try FreeConferenceCall.com. Once you register, you will get a dedicated call in number and access code, available 24/7, with no need to schedule or make reservations. Each conference call can have up to 96 callers and last for up to 6 hours in duration. It also comes with free conference call recording.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on December 20, 2008 at 11:57 AM | Permalink

The Office - Mark Toth of Manpower Employment Blawg offers a lawyer's perspective on the premiere of this season's The Office. He thinks it is a great employment law training aid because you just have to watch it and do the exact opposite of everything you see.

Positive feedback - Kris Dunn of The HR Capitalist talks about praising employees and suggests that HR should try to facilitate a way to get customer feedback directly to the employee who performed the service.

Theory X - Wally Bock of Three Star Management talks about "Theory X," the old-school view that workers are inherently lazy and will avoid work if they can. He notes that although most managers have adopted more progressive viewpoints today, computerized efficiency programs that reduce everything to time and keystrokes can lead to a resurgence in this type of regressive thinking.

USERRA - Lou Michaels of Suits in the Workplace discusses the case of an army reservist who ran into some problems when trying to return to his job at the Nashville Police Department on his return from Iraq. His job was reinstated by the courts, and Michaels reminds us that. "Reinstatement rights under USERRA are intentionally rigid and always construed in favor of the returning service member. Prompt reinstatement to the employee's escalator position is mandatory absent very narrow (and difficult to establish) exceptions."

For your employees
Smart tips for spotting retirment scams - download free brochures from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.

Monster's Career Blog notes that in a tough economy, it's important to make the most of your money, linking to tips and articles with practical advice.

By the numbers
10 ideas about what employees want
10 universal principles of the workplace
10 things HR needs to do in an economic downturn
100 things to do during a money free weekend
1000 voices: family values at work

Posted by Julie Ferguson on September 27, 2008 at 9:19 AM | Permalink

Motivating the work force Bryan Alaspa of Management Issues has an excellent post about one simple way that many senior managers miss the mark by simply being thoughtless when it comes to the people who work for them. They often lose touch with the rank and file by forgetting to acknowledge their employees and showing that they care. Thoughts from Training Time offers a related post on the importance of employee recognition during tough times - the age-old tried-and-true motivator, the compliment. And perhaps one of the reasons why managers and supervisors often forget these people management basics is that they haven't had enough training in interpersonal skills. Wally Bock of The Three Star Leadership Blog discusses the importance of ensuring that Interpersonal skills are a critical a part of leadership development.

Sick leave - lawmakers in 12 states are considering legislation that would require businesses to provide sick days to some of the 46 million workers who lack the benefit. Many workers' advocates believe paid sick time should be an employment standard, like the federal minimum wage. State legislatures began considering the legislation when a federal proposal failed. According to the Department of Labor, about 39% of service workers have such a benefit, in contrast with about 80% of management workers. HR Lori recently write about how a sick leave mandate recently failed in California.

Surveillance and the FMLA - Jeffrey Hirsch of Workplace Prof Blog posts about employers' increasing use of surveillance against employees who are out on FMLA leave. He notes that while employers have the right to raise reasonable suspicions of abuse, there is a risk of crossing over into retaliation or intimidation.

Handling resignations - Susan Heatherfield of Human Resources at About.com tackles a reader question about best practices for an employee resignation. She offers advice on areas you need to be sure to cover, such as exit interviews, transitioning the work load, and communicating the news to other employees.

Intergenerational mutual mentoring - Are your older workers having trouble adapting to Web 2.0 technologies? Why not start a cross-generation mentoring program pairing senior staffers with younger workers? Stuart Mader of Grow Your Wiki posts about how Wachovia has just such a program. Mader suggests that technology can be a connector for multiple generations. He notes that, "Between the two workers one has the technology knowledge, one has the business experience, and both are needed to be successful."

Cohabiting employees - If you think your job as an HR manager is tough now, consider your Japanese counterpart. What if among the other benefits you manage, corporate dormitories for your single employees were part of the package? HR Blunders posts about how some larger Japanese companies are bringing company-sponsored dormitories back as a way to attract and retain younger workers.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on August 25, 2008 at 9:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

EAP relevant blogs - Here at HR Web Cafe, we're delighted to have made the cut at the Employee Assistance Professional Association's Annotated List of 10 EA Relevant Blogs.

Instant messaging reduces interruptions - it would seem logical to think that instant messaging would pose another workplace distraction. Aren't employees juggling enough interruptions with phone calls, e-mails, and faxes? But a study by researchers at Ohio State University and University of California, Irvine found just the opposite: that instant messaging often replaces or is a substitute for more disruptive interruptions. While instant messaging led to more conversations, the conversations were briefer.

Diversity - Why are so many employers better at recruiting people of color than retaining or promoting them? Carmen Van Kerckhove was recently interviewed for a Crain’s New York Business article on diversity in the workplace that explored this topic.

Feel the love - not! - If you have been feeling a little lonely and under appreciated lately, you might find a clue in HRagitator's take on the top 5 reasons why people hate HR.

Compliance - Michael Fox at Jottings By An Employer's Lawyer discusses and points us to two new compliance documents:
EEOC's updated Compliance Manual section on Religious Discrimination
NLRB's Guideline Memorandum Concerning Unfair Labor Practice Charges Involving Political Advocacy.

The despot school of management - A recent poll found that one out of every four U.S. worker describes their workplace as a dictatorship. What's even worse, only about half of those surveyed think that their workplace promotes creative or inventive ideas or that their co-workers are motivated at work.

Economical motivators - If you are feeling budget challenged this year (and who the heck isn't?), Training Time suggests employee incentive ideas on a budget. We'd like to see the "simple thank you" gain wider traction.

By the numbers
10 habits that bosses love
5 rules of style for business casual
4 ways to a win-win solution in resolving workplace conflict
12 ways to fight fear in the workplace
20 tips for more efficient Google searches

Posted by Julie Ferguson on August 1, 2008 at 7:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Free seminar on caregivers - If you have employees who are caregivers, their health is at risk, this free presentation by CMS entitled Health Implications of Caregiving may be of interest to you. It is geared to those who help caregivers identify and utilize resources that help them preserve and improve their own health including case managers, social workers, employers, health care providers and those in the aging network.
It is scheduled as a Satellite Broadcast - Wednesday, June 25, 2008, 1-2:30 PM, est - Register or learn more

HR media - An online publication that's become a daily read for many of us here at ESI is Hr Blunders, a combination blog and news aggregator covering a variety of HR-related matters from benefits and recruiting to legal matters and tech news. And of course, as the headline promises - lots of blunders, HR pitfalls, and tricky questions ... don't miss the HR Blunder of the Week, which includes items like new reference check scams even HR pros are falling for. We also like the dubious decisions category.

Wellness - Joanne Wojcik of Business Insurance informs us that National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is developing a wellness accreditation and certification program for wellness service providers. Through June 30, NCQA is seeking public comment on proposed standards, which can be accessed at at the NCQA site.

Fatigue follow up - Last week, we featured an item on the high price of fatigue in the workplace. Over the weekend, we noticed an article in Time on the matter of how much sleep you really need. If you aren't logging your full 8 hours of sleep a night, don't stay awake fretting over it. While conventional wisdom has always said that 8 hours or more of sleep is a recipe for health, new research says that people who sleep in a range of 6.5 to 7.5 hours a night live the longest. Research is also showing that too much sleep (8.5+ hours) isn't much better for your health than sleeping too little.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on June 16, 2008 at 10:55 AM | Permalink

Legal matters: retaliation - We've often directed your attention to Jottings by an Employer's Lawyer where attorney blogger Michael Fox discusses legal issues related to employment law. Recently, he has featured a series of posts about recent court decisions on the matter of retaliation, a hot issue. First, he posted about the Supreme Court's recent decisions on retaliation. One case dealt with age and one with race. He next reports on a retaliation decision by a jury in Cambridge, Mass that resulted in a $4.5 million award being granted to the plaintiff. Finally, he deals with a case heard by the 5th Circuit related to retaliation under the FLSA.

Supervisor mistakes - HR Daily Advisor brings us more in the way of supervisor mistakes - this time, related to documentation. Part one deals with 6 Common Mistakes That Weaken Documentation and part two deals with mistakes that are easy to make but hard to defend.

Firefighter wellness program saves dollars - Orange County Fire Authority has seen a 90% participation level after instituting a comprehensive voluntary wellness program that includes disease screening, fitness testing, blood work, and other components. Since instituting the program, its workers' comp reserve has dropped by approximately $1 million.

Gas costs - We recently posted about the price of gas and its effect on worker productivity, along with some suggestions for employers to help mitigate commuter pain. Lydell Bridgeford of Employee Benefit News reports on SHRM research on enhanced commuter benefits that employers are putting into place. For example, 42% of companies increased their mileage reimbursement to the Internal Revenue Service maximum of 50.5 cents per mile, which is a marked increase over the 13% of employers who met the IRS mileage reimbursement cap last year. The research polled employers on other measures they are taking to help lessen the economic burden on commuting employees.

Global benefits - Employee Benefit News takes a look at employee benefits around the world - useful if you have global offices, but also interesting in examining benefit trends. For example, it is interesting to see that in Japan, the government is now requiring started requiring that companies scree employees aged between 40 and 74 years old for metabolic syndrome, a combination of medical disorders, including obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels and high blood fat levels.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on June 9, 2008 at 8:26 AM | Permalink

Bad habits - Scarlet Pruitt of HR World discusses 15 bad habits of HR Professionals. These run the gamut from gossip and leaking information to failing to confront rule breakers and underperformers. The latter is something we often see - managers who wait to deal with a performance problem until the employee is unsalvageable, even though an earlier intervention might have led to a resolution of the underlying issue causing the performance drop, often a matter that is rooted in a personal or family situation. One other weakness we might add to the list is the "rescue syndrome" - HR managers who take the weight of the work force problems on their own shoulders, playing confidant or counselor to troubled employees. Getting involved in an employee's personal problems can be like stepping in quicksand, the better course of action is to ensure that good professional counseling resources such as an EAP are available and are used.

More bad habits - as long as we're enumerating bad habits, we also call your attention to HR Daily Advisor's post about 8 common failures in hiring and recruiting, as suggested by an employment attorney.

Massachusetts employers take note: you have a new reason to ensure strict compliance with wage and hour laws. Jay Shepherd of Gruntled Employees talks about a newly enacted Massachusetts law that requires trebles damages for an employer's violation of wage and hour laws. He notes that previously judges had discretionary powers in determining whether or not an employer had malicious intent in violating the law but under the new law, treble fines are mandatory.

Watch your language - Evil HR Lady talks about why she favors a strict workplace.

Disengagement - Are 20 percent of your workers disengaged? Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 discusses a recent report on The State of Employee Engagement 2008 issued by global consultant BlessingWhite, which reports that only one in three of your workers are fully engaged. And if you are looking to determine what this looks like, Frank Roche of KnowHR offers his nomination for the best definition of employee engagement.

Flexible schedules - Ken Nowak of Envisia Learning discusses how flexible work schedules and telecommuting might increase worker productivity. Thanks to Wally Bock, who always points out worthwhile reading matter on his excellent Three Star LeadershipBlog .

What Mom is worth - In case you missed it, last week, salary.com issued their annual calculation of what a typical Mom's salary ought to be. They determined that the time mothers spend performing the 10 most popular "Mom job functions" would equate to an annual cash compensation of $116,805 for a Stay-at-Home Mom. They note that the primary driver of mom's six-figure salary is the amount of overtime clocked. Stay-at-Home Moms work a 94.4 hour "workweek"and Working Moms averaged a 54.6 hour "mom work week" in addition to their paying jobs. Use the Mom Salary Wizard to determine your Mom's market value.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on May 12, 2008 at 11:55 AM | Permalink

Free Harvard Business Review in April - Thanks to Wally Bock's Three Star Leadership Blog for alerting us that Harvard Business Review is free during the month of April. He also reminds us that even if you don't have a subscription, it's worth checking back because there are a few feature-length articles available free each month.

Unpopular employees - The Chief Happiness Officer responds to a query about how to deal with unpopular employees - and he responds with a good question ... how did the situation manage to get that bad and why hadn't a manager dealt with the employee before it reached such an impasse? He notes that because one unhappy, unproductive employee can pull down the whole department , sometimes you have to send that worker packing. While we wouldn't disagree, we would suggest trying your EAP first - it's amazing how many employees can be restored when they identify and deal with problems that are at the root of performance issues.

FMLA - George Lenard at George's Employment Blawg has an excellent two part post on FMLA. Part one focuses on military family leave rights and in part two, he offers a summary of proposed revisions to regulations. The latter are in a
“notice-and-comment” stage of an open rulemaking process.

Bullying - Tara-Parker Pope of the New York Times Well blog discusses a recent research study which suggests that workplace bullying may be tougher on employees than harassment: "The researchers found that workplace aggression had severe consequences on employee well-being. Compared to employees who had been sexually harassed, bullied workers were more likely to quit their jobs, be less happy with their work and have less satisfying relations with their bosses. Bullied employees also were more likely to report job stress and be less committed to their jobs." She follows this post up with a second post featuring a Workplace Aggression Research Questionnaire. Also, see Erica Mauter of Race in the Workplace who also writes about the bullying study, noting that there are legal remedies for sexual harassment, while bullying can be more insidious.

Employee retention - Training Time cites a recent SHRM survey to discuss reasons why employees leave your organization. The main reason? Employees don’t see opportunities for advancement at their current employer.

Sample HR letters - Susan Healtherfield of About.com's Human Resources offers sample letters for common HR events such as job offers and employee recognition. She also links to other resources, such as sample policies, checklists, and forms. These can be great starter tools to provide a framework for developing customized letters and policies.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on April 6, 2008 at 7:52 AM | Permalink

Depression - How sad is your state? MSNBC reports on a recent study that ranks depression and suicide by state, noting that "Researchers found that states with easier access to mental health resources had lower suicide rates." The top 10 saddest states in order: Utah, West Virginia, Kentucky, Rhode Island, Nevada, Oklahoma, Idaho, Missouri, Ohio and Wyoming. Check your state's depression ranking.

Returning vets - The Philadelphia Inquirer recently featured an excellent series on Alpha Company two years after their return from Iraq. This National Guard unit based in Northeast Philadelphia lost six members during their 11 month deployment and has 131 survivors, who are police officers and college students, construction workers and drug store clerks. More than half have been treated for PTSD. This series tracks their experiences since returning home in their own words.

Training blog - In our travels, we've just discovered Thoughts from Training Time, a blog about ideas and issues for corporate and government trainers and human resource managers. A few sample posts we found noteworthy: Harassment training may save you millions; Employee reward ideas from the Tooth Fairy; and Training the trainer: tips for public speaking.

Wellness - One of the problems your employees may face in getting good healthcare is simply finding access to a primary care doctor, according to a recent story in U.S. News and World Report. As a sidebar to the story, they offer 7 Tips for finding a doctor. Some other resources: AMA Doctor Finder and WebMD Physician Directory.

The high cost of bias - Race in the Workplace features an excellent post by Adina Ba about Workplace bias costing companies $64 billion annually. Among other things, she discusses results from the recent Corporate Leavers Survey (PDF), which found that over 2 million managers and professionals leave their jobs every year solely due to unfairness in the workplace - things like being passed over for promotions, being publicly humiliated or bullied, receiving unwelcome questions about skin, hair or ethnic attire, and being compared to a terrorist.

Healthcare - Tom Lynch of Workers Comp Insider has been writing on healthcare in the US, comparing how we rate against other OECD countries on a variety of measures such as cost, quality, and longevity. Part 3: What do we get for the money? looks at whether we live longer or have better health in the US given that we spend 250% more than the average OECD country. It's eye opening.

Sleep deprivation - Human Resource Executive features an article by Scott Flander on how your sleep deprived employees may be hindering your organization's productivity. Some companies are addressing this by offering on-site nap rooms. In a recent survey, " ...more than one-third of those polled said their workplace permits napping during breaks, and 16 percent said their employer provides a place to do it."

FMLA - Workplace Prof Blog discusses New Jersey's recently enacted paid family leave bill and links to a report from the national Partnership for Women and Families which lists some interesting facts about FMLA, such as " ...only 31% of people take FMLA leave (which is unpaid) to care for a seriously ill family member, and only 18% take leave to care for a new child. The majority of people who take the leave take it for their own serious health problem."

By the numbers
7 Hidden Traps in Managing Workers with Disabilities, and Dealing with the ADA
10 Ways to Know When It’s Time to Get Out of HR
6 More Ways to Know When It's Time to Get Out of HR
10 Steps for Boosting Creativity
25 Health Tips for Computer Nerds

Posted by Julie Ferguson on March 25, 2008 at 10:27 AM | Permalink

Mental health parity - A bill that levels the insurance benefits playing field for mental health benefits moved one step closer to reality last week when the House of Representatives approved a measure that would require group health plans to apply the same treatment limits on mental health and addiction coverage as for other medical benefits. The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007 would amend the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996. Currently, most insurance plans have caps on the number of visits and limitations on coverage for mental health services and addiction treatment. The House version of this measure is facing opposition from business groups because it is stronger and more encompassing than a similar measure passed by the Senate last year. For more information see:
-New York Times: House Approves Bill on Mental Health Parity
- SHRM: House Passes Mental Health Parity Bill
- Business Insurance: Mental parity bill steps closer to law

Wellness incentives - According to Risk and Insurance, when it comes to obesity and weight loss, cash is the ultimate incentive. The publication reports on a recent study by researchers at RTI International and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which suggests that moderate financial incentives can promote employees to stay healthy on the job.

Georgia gives a boost to teleworking - Georgia employers who start or expand their employee teleworking programs have a good incentive to do so. The state offers tax credits of up to $20,000 to cover program start-up costs and credits of as much as $1,200 per new teleworker. Last month, the Georgia Department of Revenue announced that 135 employers have been approved to take tax credits in 2008 for creating and expanding telework programs. These credits —- currently capped at $2 million a year —- will provide a tremendous return on the state's investment in the form of increased employee productivity and morale, fewer cars on our traffic-choked roads and less pollutants in our skies.

Work web usage - HR Capitalist suggests that if you're firing someone for excessive use, the problem is probably you..... Kris Dunn discusses an AMA survey on employer concerns and practices regarding employee misuse of the Internet and e-mail. The HR Capitalist take? Excessive Internet use isn't a policy issue, it's a performance issue.

Talent pool shortage - A U.S. News and World Report suggests that middle managers are in short supply, particularly in industries like healthcare, IT, finance, engineering, and sales. A recent survey of HR executives at Fortune 500 and smaller companies found they expect mid- and senior-level employees will be more difficult to hire in 2008. Most said they'd probably be paying 5 to 15 percent salary premiums to fill accounting, finance, marketing, sales, engineering, information technology, clinical, and midlevel management positions.
Hat tip to Wally Bock of Three Star Leadership for the pointer.

Workplace Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month - March is a good month to redouble your eye safety efforts. More than 800,000 eye injuries occur while workers are on the job, and close to 36,000 of those will require time off from work. Prevent Blindness suggest the following tips to promote eye safety in the workplace:

• Safety eyewear must have “ANSI Z87” clearly marked on all glasses or goggles and should be worn at all times whenever eye hazards are present.
• Workers should know where the nearest eye wash station is at their job site and how to use it.
• Employers should be notified immediately if safety hazards are discovered.
• Employees should have regular eye exams to make sure their vision is adequate to do their jobs safely.
• Those who already have reduced vision should ask their employers if prescription glasses or goggles can be provided.

Nix on carnivores - As if it's not hard enough to find the right worker for the job, HR Lori features an interesting item about a job listing for software development interns that has an unusual job requirement: applicants must be vegetarians. She notes that this is the flip side of a recent California court case that found employers can discriminate against vegetarians.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on March 9, 2008 at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Reasonable religious accommodations - Lou Michels discusses reasonable accommodation and religious beliefs in the context of a recent decision by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. He notes that religious accommodation suits seem to be on the rise, and that " ...this decision provides some well thought out guidance on the limits of what an employer has to do to satisfy its obligations under the law in dealing with these claims."

A modern conundrum - When Work's Invisible, So Are Its Satisfactions - "In the past, people could see the fruits of their labor immediately: a chair made or a ball bearing produced. But it can be hard to find gratification from work that is largely invisible, or from delivering goods that are often metaphorical." (thanks to Race in the Workplace for the pointer.

Wellness compliance - Does your wellness program pass muster in terms of compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act? The Employee Benefits Security Administration has recently issued a Wellness Program Checklist to help you determine if your program is compliant.

An unhealthy duo - New research indicates that the combination of depression and hostility may be factors that contribute to a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The study measured the levels of some inflammatory proteins that have been predictive of future heart disease, finding that those who reported feeling both depressed and hostile had especially high levels of the inflammatory proteins in their blood over the six year study.

Avoiding duds - Whether you are hiring for a HR Manager/Director position, or interviewing to become one, Kris Dunn offers helpful advice to help you avoid hiring or being an HR dud.

Your Rip Van Winkle moment - Wally Bock talks about the challenges of waking up as a boss - making the transition from being a worker to a manager after a sudden promotion.

A fruity idea - Employee Benefit News pointed us to a fun wellness resource - The Fruitguys, a service founded on the idea that bringing healthy brain food to the office can boost productivity and help companies improve their bottom lines. Their service allows you to have crates of mixed fresh fruits delivered to your workplace - a simple but great idea.

Cool work tools

• PDF Hammer is a free online PDF editor that allows you to edit PDF documents right now inside your browser.
• Marker board walls - nothing better for a brainstorming session than a big white board. Why not build a whole wall?
• Ta-da lists is a free tool that allows you to create and share simple online to-do lists.
• 10 smart and lazy ways to save your workday - some productivity tips from Lifehacker.
• The printable CEO - be your own CEO with a series of printable forms that help manage the day-to-day chore of achieving your goals.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on February 22, 2008 at 9:20 AM | Permalink

Problem employees - Susan Heatherfield of Human Resources of About.com talks about how to manage deadbeat employees: "You know the occasional employee I am talking about. He doesn't show up for work, calls in sick, and milks the time off policy, always walking on the edge, but never falling off. He walks the edge of the work policies and processes, too."

EEOC - Attorney Jonathan Segal lists 6 killer EEO mistakes employers most commonly make in investigating discrimination or harassment complaints in HR Daily Advisor. In a related post, HR Lori shares results of a recent survey, which found that most companies have formal anti-discrimination policies in place, but communicate these policies poorly to managers and employees. Of the organizations responding, 43% reported that they have faced EEOC-protected class harassment charges, discrimination charges or litigation at some point. Also related, Diane Pfadenhauer of Strategic HR Lawyer points us to a recently issued EEOC Fact Sheet on On Employment Tests and Selection Procedures to Screen Applicants and Workers.

Third places - Jim Ware of The Future of Work links to a recently published article on the trend to "third places" - alternatives to the first place, the formal corporate office, and the second place, the home locations - and the need for employers to include the concept of the third place in a comprehensive workplace strategy.

Medical marijuana and discrimination - Paul Secunda of Workplace Prof Blog discusses an interesting California case involving an employee who filed a discrimination suit for being terminated after revealing marijuana use, a right the worker claimed under doctor's recommendations and the state's Compassionate Use Act. Secunda notes that "Plaintiff’s position might have merit if the Compassionate Use Act gave marijuana the same status as any legal prescription drug. But the act’s effect is not so broad."

Dubious practices - Chris McKinney of HR Lawyer's Blog awards a Grand Prize in the Questionable HR Management Award to Packaging Corporation of America in Counce, Tenn. for its inadvisable termination of an employee in response to said employee’s election to the Mississippi State Senate. Read his comments about why this was a bad move.

Productivity - MindGym offers 8 Management tips that can stretch your time in The Ninety Minute Hour at Management Issues Workplace Blog.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on January 28, 2008 at 8:49 AM | Permalink

Fueled by nonstop media coverage, rumors and speculation abound about the untimely death of talented actor Heath Ledger. Autopsies and tests are being conducted, but the truth is, when drugs are involved, it may be difficult to arrive at a definitive conclusion as to whether his death was accidental or intentional. Many signs indicate that this may well have been an unintentional ingestion of a fatal pharmaceutical cocktail. Regardless, an otherwise healthy young man was cut down in the prime of his life. And as is often common in cases of self-inflicted, premature, or unexpected deaths, many of the decedent's friends, family, and colleagues will be left with a residue of guilt and uneasy questions as to whether there was anything they might have done to prevent this.

While those who knew him express shock and surprise at the news of his death, stories are peppered with what those of us in our line of work see as danger signs. Ledger had reportedly been battling substance abuse problems, and although most reports state that he had stopped drinking, those who know about substance abuse would see an abuser's use of any pills as potentially problematic. He was suffering from significant personal stress, having recently split from Michelle Williams, the mother of his two-year old child. He expressed distress and concern about the break up to his friends, as well as fears as to what the changes would mean in his relationship with his young daughter. He was also under significant professional stress, recently completing back-to-back roles in films. His role as the Joker in the new Batman film apparently exacted quite a toll. In a recent interview with the New York Times, he talked about battling exhaustion and sleep disorders during the making of the film, noting that he could only sleep two hours a night and had begun taking over-the-counter sleep aids. Self-medication, stress, and sleep disorders can fall into a self-perpetuating, cyclical pattern. Even prescribed drugs can be a problem without appropriate treatment for the root causes.

Personal and professional stress, sleep disorders, substance abuse - each one of these issues is a potentially debilitating problem in and of itself, made infinitely more complex by throwing pharmaceuticals into the mix, whether prescribed or over the counter. A perfect storm. For Ledger, the mix proved deadly.

Could anything have been done to prevent this death? Perhaps not. But for those of us in the helping profession, we will continue asking the question because Ledger's untimely death is another public reminder of the terrible toll that untreated personal problems can take. In cases such as this, there are often warning signs that are quite clear in retrospect - the mission we all have - for our loved ones and colleagues - is identifying and dealing with potentially harmful personal problems prospectively

Posted by Julie Ferguson on January 24, 2008 at 12:07 PM | Permalink

2008 Prognostications - Last week, we talked about HR events of 2007, posting several year-end reviews from around the Web and a few prognostications for 2009. This week, George Lenard of George's Employment Blawg produces and interesting roundup of even more Workworld Forecasts and Big Picture Trends for the coming year.

Tuition reimbursement - Evil HR Lady offers her thoughts on establishing tuition reimbursement programs. Among other things, she notes the importance of treating newly degreed or certified employees as external candidates when it comes to promotions. Some employers have ceilings on pay raises, which can sabotage retention since the newly person with enhanced credentials or new degrees will command a higher salary on the open market.

Minimum wage - The Department of Labor posts a helpful clickable map of minimum wage laws in the States - January 1, 2008. It's color coded to show states that are higher, lower, or the same as federal rates, as well as states with no minimum wage laws.

Maternal profiling - Have you heard any buzz about Maternal profiling yet? If not, you will - Michael Fitzgibbon of Thoughts from a Management Lawyer brings us up to date on the topic.

Teen ethics - Inside Human Resources has a depressing post telling us that 38% of teens recently surveyed believe that cheating is OK. In a recent Junior Achievement / Deloitte Teen Ethics Survey conducted among American teens ages 13-18, indicated that 38% of the respondents think it is sometimes necessary to cheat, plagiarize, lie or even behave violently in order to succeed.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on January 10, 2008 at 4:20 PM | Permalink

Mandatory wellness - Workplace Prof Blog tells us that the numbers of employers that require employees to participate in health and wellness programs are increasing, and that some attorneys are predicting a related a barrage of discrimination and privacy lawsuits. Employer programs range from the carrot of incentives to the stick of penalties, such as fines for failure to participate in health screenings and termination for those who test positive for nicotine.

Speaking of wellness ... U.S. Surgeon General Rear Adm. Steven K. Galson thinks that Santa should abstain from cookies this year because he sets a poor example for the nation's kids. Santa's average weight is 256 pounds. While he gave up the pipe a few years ago, health experts are saying it's time for the jelly belly to go too. If you would like to help Santa in this quest, be sure to leave him carrot sticks or fruit as a snack this year - the cookies have got to go!

Employment law - Lou Michels discusses two recent cases which he thinks are significant for employers seeking to prevent age discrimination claims. Both cases had to do with signed releases associated with severance packages which were later found non-compliant by courts in California and Minnesota. Michels suggests "... if you're going to hand out release documents that tell people they have 45 days to consider their options and that they should consult with an attorney, as required by the OWBPA, it's generally a bad idea to encourage or even suggest that people should immediately sign the waivers."

Shoutout to Wally Bock - If you want to stay up on some good business reads and news headlines, you can't do better than a visit to Wally Bock's Three Star Leadership Blog. Wally filters some of the best stories, particularly on weekends when most business blogs are quiet. Thanks, Wally!

When your job stinks - Evil HR Lady gives advice on a smelly problem. Personal hygiene issues are difficult to deal with. Maybe the company's EAP could get to the root of the matter.

Nomination for bad employer of the year - Call us prudes, but we just don't think it's wise to ask your female employees to come to work in their underwear. And just in case you think skivvy-related employment issues don't surface in the good old U.S. of A., think again.

Really short takes

• All-Star HR: 100 Resources to Attract, Retain and Leverage Talented Women
• Want to Motivate Generation Y? Try Praise, Attention
• A Relaxed, Casual Dress Code
• The Most and Least Prestigious Careers
• Management Lessons from First Grade

Posted by Julie Ferguson on December 3, 2007 at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Wellness programs - Michael Moore of Pennsylvania Employment Law Blog offers some helpful advice on how to stay within your legal limits when embarking on health incentive programs as part of your wellness program. See his blog posting Sizing Up Obesity: Can Wellness Programs Curb BMI ?

Absenteeism - A must read this week is Shirking Working: The War on Hooky - charting measures that some large employers are taking to manage absence. But do these programs go too far? For another perspective, be sure to read the comments at the end of the article. Also, Jon Coppelman at Workers Comp Insider takes one employer to task for absence management practices that terminated a disabled worker for repeated tardiness.

Health insurance - Are Consumer-Directed Health Plans (CDHPs) the wave of the future? Joe Paduda doesn't think so, and he discusses their limitations in a Business Week article entitled CDHPs: No Rx for Health Care. Essentially, he states that these plans may look good on paper, but explains why the financial burden on plan members is too high.

Management styles - Susan Heatherfield at about.com is always worth a read. One of her recent columns offered some insight on employee empowerment and motivating employees. She cites a study that suggests that different leadership styles might be appropriate for different phases and stages of an organization.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on November 19, 2007 at 10:21 AM | Permalink

What do managers do, anyway? Casey Stengle defined management as "getting paid for home runs that someone else hits." What's your definition? Ask a Manager offers a breakdown of what managers are responsible for.

Give this man a job for a week - One Week Job - Sean Aiken is attempting to work 52 jobs in 52 weeks and blog the results. He says he will travel anywhere and invites employers to hire him for a week.

One of our favorite stops - Susan Heatherfield always has well-researched information on her Human Resources blog on about.com. This week, she experienced a nearby tornado and used the occurrence as a springboard to discuss the importance of every workplace having an emergency plan. A timely post as it coming as it does in the midst of hurricane season and on the heels of the California fires.

Health & Wellness - Nursing Online Educational Database offers a list of the top 100 health and wellness blogs.
The Visual Medical Dictionary is an interesting way to explore medical issues. Enter a disease, therapy or drug and begin exploring relationships.

Love me, love my candidate - as we gear up to the upcoming election year, it might be helpful to think about how politics can affect things at work. Scott Flander of Human Resource Executive discusses potential impact on the work force when the boss talks politics. Also, see our past post on When politics spills over into the workplace.

Multiculturalism - The Multicultural Advantage looks to be a good resource. It offers " ... a wealth of articles, job opportunities, event listings, research, tools, downloads, links and other resources for professionals from diverse backgrounds. The site also addresses the needs of diversity recruiting and workplace diversity professionals who are seeking to reach & understand them."

Communication - The American Sign Language Dictionary is a great visual learning tool. Pick a word from an alphabetized list to view a short video clip of someone making the sign for that word. It's both useful and rather fun.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on October 26, 2007 at 2:18 PM | Permalink

Winning workplaces
What makes an organization a great place to work? The Wall Street Journal spotlights fifteen companies in its report on the Top Small Workplaces 2007. It's a great list, because often awards of this type focus on really large organizations, but these profiles feature companies that range from 12 to 492 employees. In selecting the companies, the article notes some commonalities:

These small businesses tend to let employees at all levels make key decisions, and they groom their future leaders from within. They offer generous traditional and untraditional benefits (how about a six-week sabbatical?). And they constantly hunt for new ways to improve the employee experience or engage employees.

And many share a sizable slice of their profits with employees, teaching them to read company financial statements so they grasp how their job is connected to the success of the organization.

Domestic violence in the workplace
In June, we posted about the role that employers play in curbing domestic violence. This week, Michael Fox at Jottings by an Employer's Lawyer asks why this issue hasn't received more attention, and points to an article an article on the role that employers play in preventing domestic violence that appeared in the Birmingham Business Journal. Here are two good reasons the article cites as to why many employers are taking an active role in prevention:

• Studies estimate that 40 percent of violent events at the workplace result from domestic violence, and according to the National Workplace Safety Institute, 94 percent of corporate security directors rank domestic violence as a high security problem at their company.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, domestic violence costs approximately $727.8 million in lost productivity annually and more than $4.1 billion annually in health care costs.

Overtime litigation
George Lenard at George's Employment Blawg has a must-read post on the increasing trend of litigation related to overtime issues. He offers this good advice: "More than ever, employers are well advised to engage in systematically reviewing, or "auditing," the classification of employees for overtime purposes."

The wisdom of crowds
Ask Metafilter is a very popular site where members pose practical questions and other members offer answers. Questions span an endless range of topics, and often include questions about work or job-related issues. Here are a few work-related questions and threads with responses. (work warning: responses are "vernacular" occasionally including profanities.)

• My Boss Has Anger Issues
• I have reason to believe that my boss may have caught word that I smelled of alcohol today at work. What should I do?
• My company just instituted a no-headphones policy - how can I deal?
• How do I track and display team projects like airports track flights?

Really short takes ...

• How to write an effective job posting ad for the Internet
• ADA question - Evil HR Lady fields a query on the ADA
• Stop Long Meeting - Susan Sabo at Productivity Cafe offers some great advice on keeping meetings short and to the point.
• Fighting Workplace Bullying
• Why we hate HR - this is an older article from Fast Company, but a pretty interesting read.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on October 5, 2007 at 6:57 AM | Permalink

In HR world, the word "prank" is very frightening. If you haven't been following the developments of the legal brouhaha surrounding the firefighters who fed a coworker dog food as a prank, George's Employment Blawg has the scoop.

And while we're on the topic of legal matters, HR Lori calls our attention to 3 recent California law employment decisions that you should know about if you have California employees.

Meet your future work force. They think water always came in bottles. Human Resources Blog points us to the annual Beloit College Mindset list for the Class of 2011.

Speaking of mindsets, are rising health care costs occupying a big share of your mindset these days? A good way to follow what's going on in the health care arena is to check in to Health Wonk Review, a biweekly roving carnival that features the best recent posts from health policy bloggers. Check out this week's issue at Managed care Matters.

Evil HR Lady answers a question about how to fire someone with a medical condition. By the way, we've come to think "evil" is a misnomer here.

Bootstrapper lists the Top 100 HR Bloggers, and we are happy to be on the list. But there goes our productivity today - there are so many blogs we haven't discovered yet!

One blog we recently discovered, not from the Boostraper list but from a thoughtful comment left on one of our recent posts, is Wally Bock's Three Star Leadership Blog. This looks like it will be a regular stop for us - check it out.

It's wonderful how the web gives us access to so much good compliance information. Diane Pfadenhauer of Strategic HR Lawyer has recently authored an article on plant closings and the WARN act.

Yvette Bethel of The Games People Play at Work has a good question for you. She wants to know: What is your idiot switch?

Posted by Julie Ferguson on September 20, 2007 at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Occupational Hazards reports on proposed legislation that would bolster employee health and company savings. The Healthy Workforce Act, introduced by cosponsors Senators Tom Harkin and Gordon Smith, would provide a 10-year tax credit of up to $200 per employee to businesses that offer robust wellness programs. Programs would need to include such components as "health awareness programs and health risk assessments, behavior change programs, meaningful incentives for program participation and an employee committee that tailors programs to meet workforce needs."

Chief Happiness Officer thinks that "Constant complaining in the workplace is toxic. It can drain the happiness, motivation, creativity and fun from a whole company. Wherever it's going on it must be addressed and handled properly." He offers the top 10 reasons why constant complaining is so toxic in the workplace.

Lou Michaels of Suits in the Workplace discusses recent case law that illustrates that at least when it comes to pay scales, inconsistency is a hobgoblin.

Is your state overweight? MSN offers a state-by-state comparative time line based on data from the CDC that dramatically depicts the rising tide of obesity. The chart is accompanied by a 4-part series on fighting obesity, with articles on how to change the trend. This might be a good information to share with your employees.

Workplace Prof Blog points us to new minimum wage posters in English, Spanish and Chinese. Thanks, Prof!

Ever wonder how your income stacks up in the great scheme of things? Find out how rich you are on the global rich list.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on August 14, 2007 at 11:46 AM | Permalink

Today is Equal Pay Day - When it comes to equal pay, the gender pay gap persists, according to research by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation. What's more, the research finds that this pay gap begins right at the starting gate and gets worse over time. One year out of college, women working full time already earn only 80 percent of what their male counterparts earn, even after controlling for hours, occupation, parenthood, and other factors known to affect earnings. By ten years, comparable women's pay falls to 69 percent of what men earn.

The AAUW research also shows that this pay gap exists despite the fact that women outperform men in school—earning slightly higher GPAs than men in every college major, including science and mathematics. See state-by-state data on pay equity. (Via The HR Blog).

A look ahead - Anne Freedman sees increased globalization, and more workers who are modular and remote when she looks in her crystal ball. In "The Next 20 Years", which appears in the current issue of Human Resource Executive, she identifies managing across international borders and accommodating cultural diversity as some of the challenges facing HR managers. Here's a brief excerpt:

"Managing people will entail a different can of worms, however, as many may not be working full-time. Many of the experts see significant increases in project-based work, with HR being cast in the role of producer, bringing together the talent necessary to get specific jobs done before each individual takes off for the next project.

A related scenario includes a renaissance in the creation of guilds and unions, where loyalty to a profession, such as a software engineer, for example, replaces loyalty to an employer."

The rewards of being nice - We enjoyed this anecdote about coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, first impressions, and how it pays to be nice - a brief parable from The Group Guy.

Guns at work - Chris MCKinney at The HR Lawyer's Blog revisits the guns in the workplace in the aftermath of Virginia Tech. (See our recent post - Should employers have the right to ban guns at work?)

Dental health - Are dental plans a part of your wellness program? There's a lengthy article in the Los Angeles Times (free registration may be required) that discusses the relationship between gum disease and serious health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and pregnancy complications. Several recent research studies demonstrate a relationship between dental health and overall health. In the light of this research, some large insurers are revising health plans to offer additional services for high-risk individuals. But the bad news is that more than 100 million people have no dental insurance.

Business tools

• Cliff Ennico offers a how-to guide for hiring an attorney in entrepreneur.com.
• Problems e-mailing very large files? Try YouSendIt. Some basic services are free, but you can also purchase business plans that allow branding and other features.
• Susan Heatherfiled offers tips for better new employee orientation.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on April 24, 2007 at 11:06 AM | Permalink

Fear of firing - An article in Business Week uses the recent $11.1 million judgment against General Electric for retaliation in firing an employee as a springboard for a discussion about the reluctance many employers have in terminating under-performing employees. Many employers are immobilized by fear of lawsuits, with the end result being that problem employees are often kept on the payroll. The article notes that suits based on retaliation are on the rise: "Retaliation suits are a hot growth area in employment law. In 2005 and 2006, retaliation claims represented 30% of all charges individuals filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a required first step before most discrimination cases can go to federal court. That's up from about 20% just 10 years ago."
Thanks to Michael Fox at Jottings By An Employer's Lawyer for the pointer.

Great workplaces - Here's a video profile of another fun, creative place to work - Cranium, the game company. In addition to a visit to the company, the clip also includes an interview with Polly LaBarre, co-author of Mavericks at Work, which sounds like a business must-read. In the interview, LaBarre lists several characteristics of "maverick" organizations: they don't just think about making money, they think about making a difference; they don't just think about product, but standing for important ideas; they have distinctive and disruptive sense of purpose; and they have a value system and are passionate about advancing a cause. (Thanks to The Chief Happiness Officer for the pointer - visit his happy links roundup.)

Tough HR questions - Susan Heatherfield of Human Resources at About.com presents the Top 10 Toughest Questions - Asked and Answered based on reader e-mails. The toughest questions also tend to be the ones that are asked about most frequently, such as "how to deal with a negative coworker" and "why employees don't do what you want them to do." Not only is this a great list, but Susan has developed thorough "how-to" guides to answer each question.

Work etiquette

• Ask Metafilter answers the question How do I gently inform a new employee that she needs to dress better?
• 5 Tips to "Handle" Unwanted Workplace Visitors
• Top 6 Rules for Using Cell Phones at Work

Bad employee of the week - We nominate John Awesome.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on April 16, 2007 at 8:44 AM | Permalink

Human Resource Executive lists what it considers to be the leading Web sites and blogs for HR professionals today in a compilation by Tom Starner - and we were pleased and honored to discover that HR Web Cafe has made this list - we appreciate being included among such great sites. Check out the list - your bookmarking finger should get some exercise with this list of 10 general sites and 10 blogs - we know our day is shot now since we'll be doing some heavy surfing to check out these good links.

And speaking of good sites, it's time to update our blogroll with some of our recent blog discoveries. Just a reminder - if you haven't noticed our sidebar, we have a growing compilation of blogs, tools, widgets, and general HR resources. We'll no doubt be adding some from HRE's "best of" lists soon, too.

The Cenek Report, which bills itself as "Uncommon Commentary on the World of Work," is authored by Robert Cenek, a 30-year HR pro whose career includes positions at large organizations such as Bristol-Myers and General Mills. A sampling of recent posts that we liked from his thoughtful and stylish blog include:
Workforce at Circuit City Gets Short Circuited Again
More Fiction About Generational Differences
Another View on Web Usage At Work

The Group Guy is an informative blog by by Dan Buckle, health and welfare consultant, billed as "Independent Thought On Employee Benefit Matters For Employers." A sampling of recent posts we liked include:
Rx Plan Design and Diabetes
The Cost of Unhealthy Behavior: Got Wellness?
The Black Hole in Your Benefit Plan

Evil HR Lady is the entertaining and informative blog of an HR professional in a Fortune 500 Company. Her blog title sets the tone. Some recent posts we liked include:
Circuit City's Mistake
Business Decisions, or what to do when you discover you are riding a dead horse.
One Size Fits All - what gas masks and benefit plans often have in common.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on April 11, 2007 at 10:23 AM | Permalink

Company layoffs have always been reported in the media, but these announcements often fly under the radar on a busy news day and tend to have a short shelf life beyond those directly or indirectly affected. But with the Internet, it's a brand new day. Boardroom decisions get a thorough airing out in the court of public opinion as they reverberate through the blogs and discussion boards. The current employment topic du jour is Circuit City's announcement of a layoff of 3500 of its highest paid workers. Apparently, the laid-off workers will later be allowed to reapply for these vacant positions at lower salaries. According to the company, the salary cuts and some other restructuring moves will save the company some $110 million. In a memo to employees, the company stated that it "made a business decision, with respect to certain positions, to separate from employment hourly associates whose pay rate is 51 cents or more above (an) established pay range."

Eve Tahmincioglu of MSNBC discusses whether this move is a bold strategy or a black eye for the company. She notes that Circuit City employees who included their salary information on Vault.com reported making anywhere from $8 to $15 an hour for sales work.

In an article headlined For Circuit City staff, good pay is a bad thing, Abigail Goldman and Molly Selvin in the LA Times note that:

The move put Richmond, Va.-based Circuit City, which has more than 40,000 employees in the United States, at the forefront of a new way of controlling labor costs in the service industry. Employers determine the prevailing market wages for particular jobs in various geographic regions and then find ways to make sure that their workers' salaries stay within that range."

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., for example, last summer capped the pay of its veterans at levels consistent with competitors' top wages. Wal-Mart didn't lay off those who earned above a certain amount but did stop giving them raises, saying that would encourage them to advance through the ranks to higher-paying positions.

Circuit City is being more aggressive about it, said Peter Doeringer, a professor of labor economics at Boston University. "What's unusual is to say we're doing this deliberate swapping of high for low."

The blog buzz
As is so often the case with layoffs and restructurings, Wall Street gave its nod of approval with stocks closing up .35. But if the talk in the blogosphere is any indicator of a wider consumer sentiment, longer term effects of the move may be less positive. A Google search shows this story has a lot of legs in the blogosphere. It is difficult to find any company defenders. Heres a sampling of the reactions:

HR Lori wonders if a better strategy than the layoffs might have been to cut all salaries, including executive salaries. She notes:

This plan really does not make any sense to me, particularly since I am incredibly risk averse. When you terminate higher paid employees in order to hire those at a lower rate, you run the risk of running afoul of a number of statutes - the ADEA particularly comes to mind as a distinct possibility. Never mind the other concerns such as the time and cost of recruiting 3400 replacements or even things like administering COBRA for 3400 people.

Workplace Prof Blog is skeptical about the company spin. He asks:

Whatever happened to loyalty to your employees and rewarding them for past service provided and a job well done? Shoot, corporate strategies like these could singlehandedly revive American unions with their promise of just cause protection. At-will employees like these have no protections against arbitrary dismissals.

I wonder whether enough people will be outraged by this labor strategy that they will not shop the store and any gains made from savings in labor costs will be lost in terms of good will from customers. I also wonder whether the loss in remaining employee morale will significantly affect productivity.

David Becker at one of Wired's blogs wryly titles his post "Circuit City Shields Customers From Too-Smart Sales Clerks." He notes: "Circuit City has revealed plans to lay off more than 3,000 of the retail chain's most highly paid and experienced employees, thus solving that nagging problem of clerks being overly helpful and knowledgeable."

A discussion thread on Metafilter entitled Stupid Management Tricks offers more interesting commentary on the matter. (warning: posts include some unedited, salty language)

One poster sources Circuit City's Chief Executive Officer W. Alan McCollough's pay through Executive Paywatch:

In 2005, W. Alan McCollough raked in $5,470,049 in total compensation including stock option grants* from Circuit City Stores Inc. From previous years' stock option grants, the Circuit City Stores Inc. executive cashed out $3,052,902 in stock option exercises. And W. Alan McCollough has another $20,773,329 in unexercised stock options from previous years.

Another poster comments:

" ... the thing that's distasteful to me is that Circuit City is insuring that all their sales staff remain at the bottom rung. They're sending the message that they don't have room in the payroll for employees that stick with the company long enough to earn some raises/promotions. Since it's safe to assume that longer-term employees perform better for the company, either through familiarity with the product or a improved salesmanship, it's strange that CC would place their bet on the beliefs that: consumer electronics can sell themselves, a warm body is only needed to work the register, and that the customer's questions are a impediment to doing business. I think the same management strategy is what caused Hechinger's to be wiped out by Home Depot."

Another poster notes that this is standard industry practice, though it usually occurs in less noticeable numbers:

"The only difference between what Circuit City has done and standard retail practice is that they were stupid enough to announce it to the world. Big Box retailers have been doing this for as long as Big Box retailing has existed. Maintaining a steady turnover among "senior" sellers is a standard practice and percentage of employee churn is often one of the performance metrics for retail units."

Another posters suggests that this announcement does not bode well for the company:

"Squeezed by direct sales via Internet on one side and Wal-Mart on the other, big-box electronics retailers don't have a bright future selling to consumers. As for this specific story, when "cutting costs" means firing your (presumably) most experienced customer service staff, you're not trimming fat any longer, you're chopping bone. Start the Circuit City deathwatch."

Posted by Julie Ferguson on March 30, 2007 at 8:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Gambling at work - Some seasonal sports activities generate a spike in workplace gambling. BLR features an article on the dangers of NCAA tournament pools that suggests some ways that a company might harness these pools more productively. Thanks to Strategic HR Lawyer for the pointer.

It's about time - Thinking about flextime? If so, you might enjoy this case study about how Best Buy is rethinking the time clock. Under a program called Rowe (results-only work environment) workers set their own schedules. The program has been a whopping success at the corporate headquarters, where 60% of the employees participate and productivity has soared by 35%. Best Buy is about to roll the program out to its retail operations, hoping to make a dent in one of the industry's greatest Achilles' heal, high turnover.

By the numbers - "Do your employees do their best when you're not around? Do they make a beeline to get in on your team? Do they go that extra mile to do that task more efficiently without being asked? Do they have nice things to say about you, even when you're not within earshot?" Business Intelligence Lowdown offers 73 surefire tips on how to be a manager that your employees respect. If you have a large tech work force, here are 8 things intelligent people, geeks and nerds need to work happily. And conversely, here's a list of 50+ ways a manager can get employees to quit that were compiled by an IT manager who polled colleagues about the things a former manager did to demotivate his team.

Legal matters - Chris McKinney of HR Lawyer's Blog posts about a a million dollar ADA verdict recently levied against DuPont. It might be a good time to review employer responsibilities under the ADA. Also timely, Labor and Employment Law Blog has a pertinent post: Frequently Asked Questions About Reasonable Accommodation.

New blog discovery - Check out Suits in the Workplace - an employment law blog by attorneys Lou Michels and Rod Satterwhite. Lots of interesting items, from a recent post about E-mail policies potentially opening the door to union activity to the latest on computer privacy in the workplace.

Who are you? - Susan Heatherfield asks and answers the question What Does a Human Resources Manager, Generalist, or Director Do?. Roles vary depending on the size and maturity of an organization - from benefits manager and employee advocate to strategic partner and change champion. Susan offers a good general overview of common responsibilities, a discussion of the emerging role of HR managers, and links to many related resources.

Short takes

• A recent study indicates that common anxiety disorders often go untreated, yet as many as one in five may be suffering from post-traumatic stress, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, panic, or social anxiety disorders. This type of issue is a good candidate for a referral to your EAP.
• George Kittredge of Labor and Employment Law Blog offers good advice on documenting workplace issues, offering the mantra that "if it's not in writing, it didn't happen."
• The Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook 2006-2007 is a reference tool that is a handy bookmark.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on March 21, 2007 at 9:13 AM | Permalink

Video resumes - Are you ready for the video resume? In a series of posts covering the topic, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen of Time magazine's Work in Progress blog gives us the rundown. In her first post, she discusses the rise of the video resume and offers a good sample clip. In her second post, she tells us why many recruiters hate the video resume. Today's post offers a sampling of winning video resumes from a contest sponsored by the Vault, along with how-to list of the dos and don'ts for creating a good video resume.

Elder care - Mark Willaman of HR Marketer talks about a recent CBS segment on caregiving and the increase in the numbers of companies that are adding eldercare benefits similar to those that have been offered for child dependents. He wonders why many EAPs are slow off the mark in offering such benefits. (note: ESI offers both child and elder care benefits.)

Benefits - Diane Pfadenhauer of Strategic HR Lawyer offers Benefit Trends to Watch from Watson Wyatt.

Teleworking - Benefitnews looks at the recent results of a survey of federal managers on teleworking that demonstrates that most view teleworking favorably. Excerpt: "The majority of federal managers who oversee teleworkers found the concept favorable (63%) and rated teleworkers just as productive as their in-office counterparts."

How does the U.S. stack up in family-friendliness? - Brent Hunsberger of At Work posts some highlights from a report from Harvard and McGill Universities finding that the U.S. is failing working families. An excerpt: "The United States is one of only five nations surveyed that doesn't provide moms paid maternity leave. Nearly 170 countries do, and nearly 100 offer more than 14 weeks of paid time off to care for a new baby. Lesotho, Liberia, Papua New Guinea, and Swaziland, along with America, don't. 66 countries extend paid leave to new dads."

Posted by Julie Ferguson on February 27, 2007 at 8:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sweet news - If your wellness efforts led you to replace all the candy in your vending machines with more healthful choices such as yogurt, nuts and granola, you may want to rethink that decision. A recent study issued at the American Association for the Advancement of Science demonstrates that eating chocolate might sharpen up the mind and give a short-term boost to cognitive skills. Study results also show that cocoa flavanols found in chocolate might also offer vascular and heart benefits and help in reducing the effects of aging.

There's one in every crowd - Forbes asks an important workplace question: Are You An A$&*@^? In her article, Tara Weiss discusses people who go beyond mere jerkiness into a realm of meanness and cruelty that brings the whole office down and evokes strong feelings of dislike and disdain. She interviews author Robert Sutton, a professor at Stanford University who wrote the book The No A------- Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't. Read the interview and then take the quiz to find out if you are an A$&*@^. Related: How one bad apple can create a toxic team

Handling terminations - We believe that with the right intervention by a good EAP, most employees can be salvaged, but occasionally, things just don't work out. Once that decision is made, your focus needs to switch to not why you are doing it, but how. A mismanaged termination can lead to problems and lawsuits. George Kittredge of Labor and Employment Law offers suggestion on how to handle an employee termination

Briefs - Attorney Jacqueline McManus discusses the Benefits of Employee Handbooks in the Montery Herald. The Chief Happiness Officer offers Five weeeeeeeeird tips for great meetings. Scientific American: Employers urged to plan for flu pandemic.

Posted by Julie Ferguson on February 20, 2007 at 9:44 AM | Permalink

Extreme work - Chris McKinney of HR Lawyers' Blog discusses the the dangers inherent in a culture of extreme work.

Discrimination research - Workplace Prof Blog calls our attention to a disturbing study that finds skin-tone prejudice against darker-skinned legal immigrants.

"Light-skinned immigrants in the United States make more money on average than those with darker complexions, and the chief reason appears to be discrimination, a researcher says.

Joni Hersch, a law and economics professor at Vanderbilt University, looked at a government survey of 2,084 legal immigrants to the United States from around the world and found that those with the lightest skin earned an average of 8 percent to 15 percent more than similar immigrants with much darker skin.

"On average, being one shade lighter has about the same effect as having an additional year of education," Hersch said."

OSHA logs - Diane Pfadenhauer of Strategic HR Lawyer reminds us not to forget to post OSHA 300 logs, a requirement as of February 1. She provides a link to the form.

Working at home - Jon Coppelman of Workers Comp Insider discusses recent class action suits by home-based workers alleging that the arrangement violate basic employment laws. Jon makes the point that there is a difference between an independent contractor and a home-based employee, and suggest employers ensure that their status is clarified.

Declining union membership - According to a recently released Department of Labor report, union membership fell by 12.5 percent in 2006, a decrease of more than 300,000 members. In 2006, 12.0 percent of employed wage and salary workers were union members.

Work environments - Many think that a greener workplace can be a healthier and more productive place to work - as well as good news for the bottom line. Wondering where to start? How to Green Your Work offers tips, ideas, and resources.

Pet peeves - Workers ask for help dealing with irritating co-worker behaviors.
How to deal with a loud-mouthed coworker.
My bookkeeper stinks!! Bad!!
Stopping a non-stop talker
My co-worker poisons the office

Posted by ESI on January 30, 2007 at 1:37 PM | Permalink

George Kittredge of Labor and Employment Law offers seven personnel policies to avoid when hiring.

Tracey Levy at Human Resource Executive Online answers some reader questions about employer obligations under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Susan M. Heatherfield of Human Resources at About.com offers a cell phone use sample policy.

Liz Ryan of BusinessWeek.com offers five practical tips for dealing with the coworker who is constantly complaining about the boss.

Earlier this month, we discussed seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in the workplace. We just recently came upon a discussion about Seasonal Affective Disorder and light therapy, and how light therapy can be useful in addressing other issues such as jet lag and shift work.

A new survey by Staples reveals some important information about managers. This is the kind of information we all need!

The office can be a dangerous place: When office supplies attack

Posted by ESI on January 19, 2007 at 8:29 AM | Permalink

NY public sector employers, take note - Diane Pfadenhauer of Strategic HR Lawyer covers the essentials of the New York Workplace Violence Prevention Law which affects public sector employers in New York State beginning on March 7, 2007. The Law is designed "to ensure that the risk of workplace assaults and homicides are regularly evaluated by public employers and that workplace violence protection programs are implemented to prevent and minimize the hazard to public employees."

Happiness pays off - Thanks to The Chief Happiness Officer for pointing us to a BBC article which discusses the importance of happiness at work: "Forget salary, location, prospects - happiness is the new weapon in the drive to recruit the best and brightest new workers." In an accompanying chart, the article lists the 10 things that make us happy at work:

• Friendly supportive colleagues
• Enjoyable work
• Good boss or manager
• Good work/life balance
• Varied work
• Doing something worthwhile
• Making a difference
• Part of a successful team
• Achievements recognised
• Competitive salary

Buckle up - According to a recent national survey by Yahoo HotJobs, employers could be in for a bumpy ride this year. In an online survey of 5,331 workers, 45 percent of the participants indicated they plan to change jobs in 2007. Only about one-third were so satisfied with their current position they were not expecting to look.(via The HR Lawyer's Blog).

By the numbers
Employment Laws - The 10 Most Common Mistakes Made By Employers from George Kittredge of Labor and Employment Law Blog

Top 10 Stupid Hiring Mistakes by Nick Corcodilos from Ask the Headhunter

10 Toughest Career Dilemmas Solved - With advice on everything from how to get a raise, to where the tech jobs are now, to the best way to get a rude co-worker to shut up, here are excerpts from Fortune's Anne Fisher's top Ask Annie columns of the year.

100 Best Companies To Work for -The updated list for 2007 from Fortune. Related: What makes a job great, from Workplace Fairness.

Posted by ESI on January 12, 2007 at 4:23 AM | Permalink

When it comes to work absurdities, we ascribe to an equal opportunity philosophy - so in today's post, we are highlighting some stories that take both bosses and employees to task.

"I accidentally flushed my keys down the toilet" - Heard any good excuses for why an employee can't come to work lately? We're sure you have. Kathy Gurchiek compiled some of the best excuses that hiring managers polled by SHRM heard in 2006 in an article entitled Runaway horses, charging buffalo kept workers home in '06. The list is amusing, with excuses ranging from being locked in a restroom stall to being cornered by a snake. But some seem almost reasonable. For example, post-holiday, I can definitely relate to this one: "I'm too fat to get into my work pants." Have you heard any unique excuses lately? Feel free to add them to the comments.

Bah, humbug - We missed Slate magazine's pre-Christmas announcement about the winners in the Corporate Scrooge Contest, but think the article about America's worst office Christmas parties, gifts, and bonuses is worth posting even at this late date. Maybe some of the winners can have a second chance to show their employees some love on Valentine's Day.

A word to the wise - Workplace Prof Blog offers this sensible advice: Don't perform exorcisms at work ... anointing your demonically-possessed colleague's cubicle with olive oil might get you fired, and the courts are unlikely to be sympathetic to your religious discrimination suit.

Lies, damn lies, and statistics - Need some statistics for your boss that just don't seem to exist? No problem - eSolutions data lets you create your own. You might want to test your luck out with these HR manager salary statistics in your next job review.

Posted by ESI on January 4, 2007 at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Holiday pay: legal requirements - About.com's blog features attorney Mel Muskovitz addressing common questions and answers related to holiday pay practices.

"Lift outs" - an emerging trend? - Jay Shepherd of Gruntled Employees discusses the practice of "lifting out" an intact team of workers from another company and the problems that can ensue. This practice, which is perhaps more commonly known as employee raiding, seems to be on the increase. Jay's post discusses and comments on a recent article on the topic that appeared in The Boston Globe.

American bosses come in second - American managers may want to take a lesson from Avis and embrace the "We try harder" slogan as a mantra. In a survey of 70,000 respondents in 28 countries conducted by Kelly Services, Mexican bosses rated highest on a 10 point scale, with U.S. bosses coming in second. One potential area for improvement? About 29 percent of the U.S. workers said they were are rarely or never rewarded for a job well done. See the full study results (PDF).

Worker burnout - Douglas Eisenhart of HR Blog points us to a recent study on employee burnout that is discussed in Human Resources Executive. According to study authors, it is not the job that causes burnout, but the organization. One of the biggest employee complaints? They don't get enough respect. They don't feel they are valued or sufficiently recognized for the jobs that they do. We may have a recurring them here. Have you thanked your employees today?

Worker interruptions are expensive - according to recent studies, it is estimated that U.S. office workers get interrupted as often as 6 to 11 times per hour and the price tag for these interruptions may be as high as $588. While technologies like phone, e-mail, and instant messaging are intended to create efficiencies, the downside may be a drain on productivity.

How much does an employee cost? - Joseph G. Hadzima Jr., senior lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management, offers a broad guide for planning employment costs based on analyzing various expense categories.

Health care reform - If the topic of health care is on your radar screen, you may want to follow a new reform proposal from Senator Ron Wyden that is under discussion in the blogosphere. Joe Paduda at Managed care Matters has been following this issue - he offers an overview and comments on the plan and follows up with a roundup of reactions and commentary from blog health care pundits. He then offered yet more thoughtful commentary on some of the proposal's core provisions. Keep an eye on Joe's blog if you want to follow emerging health care policy issues.

Holiday doo-wop - OK, we can't resist one more cute holiday greeting featuring Santa and a chorus of his reindeer crooning a holiday classic. You need flash and be sure to turn up your speakers.

Posted by ESI on December 21, 2006 at 10:40 AM | Permalink

Background checks and diversity - Employers that regularly conduct criminal background checks as part of the new hire process are more likely to hire a black applicant, or so says a new study reported in The Journal of Law and Economics. The study authors state that "The results are consistent with the proposition that in the absence of a criminal background check, employers use race to infer past criminal activity, especially employers with a strong stated aversion to hiring ex-offenders." (Thanks to Workplace Fairness for the tip.)

Holiday and end-of-year bonuses - Are employee bonuses a part of your compensation plan this year? Diane Pfadenhauer of Strategic HR Lawyer reminds us of the need to stay compliant with tax laws: IRS Guidelines on Bonuses and Special Awards (PDF).

The graying of America - Chris McKinney of HR Lawyers Blog asks if your organization is prepared for the aging workforce. He posts about a recent AARP survey entitled "Business Executives' Attitudes Toward the Aging Workforce: Aware But Not Prepared?" In the survey, only one in seven respondents believe their organization is very committed to retaining employees who are approaching retirement, yet nine out of ten agreed that it is challenging to find the skills and experience that they need. Chris notes that employers will need to bridge this disconnect between what they know they need to be doing and what they actually are doing.

How does your turnover compare? - Whatnot at Work posts on the latest voluntary employment turnover rates as released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics through August 2006. The report notes:

"Overall U.S. voluntary turnover increased slightly to 23.4% annually, up from 22.7% the previous year. The highest turnover by far is still in the Accommodation and Food Services sector at 56.4% and the Leisure and Hospitality sector at 52.2%. Sectors that saw the highest increase in turnover were Accommodation and Food Services, up 7% from the previous year, Leisure and Hospitality, up 5.4% and Information, up 4.5%. The only sectors seeing a (slight) decrease in turnover were Real Estate, Natural Resources and Mining, and Professional and Business Services."

What Homer Simpson can tell you about distinguishing exempt vs nonexempt workers - Workforce features and amusing and instructive article by Robert S. Nelson entitled All You Need to Know About Overtime Exemptions You Can Learn From TV. He suggests that when it comes to the legal complexities that govern the distinction between salaried and hourly workers, popular TV might be a better teacher than labor lawyers because it provides powerful archetypes and common frames of reference to aid decision making. Thanks to Workplace Prof Blog for the pointer, as well as for this expensive real-world lesson about what can happen when a company makes misjudgements in this area: IBM resolves overtime-pay lawsuit with $65M.

And on the lighter side...

• The Executive Coloring Book
• Feng Shui @ Work
• Money is time

Posted by ESI on November 28, 2006 at 8:43 AM | Permalink

People planning - Human Resources: "Right" Sizing - an article in Industry Week uses the experience of Corning Company as a springboard for a discussion on strategic workforce planning, offering 12 tips for how to implement the practice. The article defines this as:

"Strategic workforce planning is not a new name for some old practice, emphasizes Mary B. Young, a senior researcher at the Conference Board. Strategic workforce planning, for example, assumes the business environment is constantly changing. It includes, she notes, asking such questions as, "What if the price of oil drops?" or "What if the Democrats win the election?" What's more, "you can look at the differences between different operating businesses, or different locations or even under different managers," she says.

In contrast, workforce planning of the past has often focused simply on headcount and produced a static projection of the number of people likely to be needed sometime in the future, Young says. "Too often, the net result was a humongous report, blinding spreadsheets and a dizzying amount of data that provided very little value to the business."

Up, up, and away - Joanne Wojcik of Business Insurance reports on a recent survey conducted by the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers on employer health-care costs for 2007. Among the findings:

"According to the survey, while 41% of large employers (501 or more employees) saw rate increases ranging between 6% and 10% for 2007, only 16% of small employers (50 or fewer employees) saw rate hikes that low at renewal.

At the other end of the spectrum, 50% of small employers saw rate hikes between 11% and 15% for 2007, while only 19% of large employers saw similar increases at renewal."

Accommodating employers - Jonathan O. Hafen discusses How Employers Can Address Mental Illness Claims Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in an excellent article in law.com. Here's an excerpt:

"Recent cases suggest that employers should do more to confirm that an alleged mental illness qualifies as a "disability" under the ADA before proceeding to discuss potential accommodations. The process of confirming a qualifying disability will also often narrow the range of required accommodations, thereby benefiting the employer. When an employee requests an accommodation based on a mental illness, the employer should make the following determinations prior to addressing potential accommodations: 1) has the alleged mental illness been properly diagnosed?; 2) is the mental illness a long-term pervasive problem which substantially limits a major life activity?; and 3) can the employee, with or without reasonable accommodation, continue to perform the essential job functions in light of the mental illness?"

Comparing workers comp costs - Workers comp is regulated by 50 separate laws. and each state has different benefits and costs. In Workers Comp Insider, Tom Lynch discusses various tools for a state-by-state workers comp cost comparison. Alaska just took the title away from California for the state with the highest cost and North Dakota has the lowest cost. See where your state falls on the list. (PDF)

Fabulous perks - at Ask MetaFilter, a member asks what types of jobs have awesome perks/benefits? and other members respond. Educational benefits are frequently cited.

Friday fun - Addressing Employee Complaints, a YouTube video clip brought to you from the wonderful folks at despair.com.

Posted by ESI on November 17, 2006 at 8:24 AM | Permalink

How secure is your employee data? - Diane Pfadenhauer of Strategic HR Lawyer discusses how data for 60,000 Starbucks employees is missing. Corporate security breaches of confidential employee records are becoming increasingly common - how secure are your organization's employment records?

Good new blog find - We recently discovered a great new blog called Gruntled Employees by Jay Shepherd, CEO of a Boston law firm that specializes in employment issues. Check out some recent posts we enjoyed: The Cost of Employee Turnover and Workplace romance: love affairs and lawsuits. We'll be adding this blog to our sidebar.

What the voters want at the workplace - Brent Hunsberger of The Oregonian's At Work blog discusses some initiatives that recently passed at the polls: six states approve minimum-wage hikes and San Francisco voters embrace mandatory paid sick days.

What do you love about HR? - This amusing video parody lampoons the benefits of a career in human resources.

Top HR concerns - Are compliance issues your biggest worry? If so, you aren't alone. George’s Employment Blawg discusses a recent compilation of surveys that amalgamate the top concerns of HR practitioners.

Compliance - Speaking of compliance, do you need a source to check for and order your state's mandatory posting requirements? Try Labor Law Poster.

Bullies at work - Workplace Prof Blog discusses a recent study about bullies in the workplace. " ... bullied employees likened their experiences to a battle, water torture, a nightmare or a noxious substance. Understanding the seriousness of workplace bullying and what it feels like to get bullied could help managers put the brakes on the behavior, shown to afflict 25 to 30 percent of employees sometime during their careers."

Posted by ESI on November 13, 2006 at 12:19 PM | Permalink

Winning Workplaces - Are you one? WSJ wants to know - Are you an independent company with fewer than 500 employees and no more than $200 million in annual revenues? Have you been in business at least 5 years? Is your workplace outstanding? If so, Wall Street Journal wants to know for its first annual ranking of the Top Small Workplaces. They are looking for "small employers that foster teamwork, flexibility, high productivity and innovation while also treating their employees with respect, providing opportunities for professional growth and advancement, and providing benefits, both traditional and nontraditional, that make the employee experience better." To nominate an employer, fill out the online nomination form by January 31, 2007.

Benefit News Benefit Blockbuster Poll - Thanks to Benefit News Connect newsletter for the above tip. We get this newsletter twice a week, free, and you can too - as well as having free access to most of the BenefitNews.com site simply by registering as a member. And while there, you might take part their ‘Benefits Blockbusters’ poll. If you are a veteran HR practitioner, Employee Benefit News is looking for your feedback on the most significant events or trends that have shaped employee benefits and your career in the last 20 years. Send one or more “nominees” for what should be included in their “Benefits Blockbusters” list for the January issue. They invite you to "... consider all aspects of benefits, including technology, laws, industry, business and societal trends. Blockbusters may be positive or negative. We’d also like to know why you think your picks deserve to make the list." Send nominations - which will be confidential - to bbsurveyebn@sourcemedia.com.

Participate in a HR benchmarking survey - Are you asked to do more and more every year, and given less resources to do it with? If so, you aren't alone. The Boeing Company and Best Practices, LLC, are conducting a survey to establish comprehensive performance and cost benchmarks for HR functions in large organizations. If you are an HR practitioner in a Fortune 500 company, you may want to participate before November 15. Access the benchmarking survey and past survey results here.

Events in November - two events that should be on your radar screen this November include: National Diabetes Month and the Great American Smoke Out on November 16. For other seasonal events, see our post on free resources for wellness programs.

Posted by ESI on October 31, 2006 at 9:10 AM | Permalink

Hip-hop harassment - At Jottings by an Employer's Lawyer, Michael Fox discusses a recent $15.5 million court decision in a sexual harassment and gender discrimination suit against The Source, a prominent hip-hop publication. The suit was filed by Kim Osorio, the former editor in chief, who was fired because she refused to drop her complaints against the publication. The defense essentially amounted to "it goes with the territory," but the court decided otherwise.

Halloween at work - At George's Employment Blog, George posts about Halloween in the workplace. Does your organization encourage Halloween frivolity? Here's a nice tale of how some nurses celebrate Halloween at work. William Wyberg of the Des Moines Register discusses some local workplaces that celebrate Halloween and offers employees some tips for appropriate costumes. And Joni Lucas of HR Magazine offers her tips on Halloween Parties: A Tricky Treat - office parties. Here are some truly gruesome recipes should you opt for the party route. On second thought, they aren't very PC, but we couldn't resist passing them along.

Learning from Google - HRMarketer examines ways that Google is honing its hiring practices as it grows, drawing lessons for other employers in how to expeditiously build a talent pool.

Keeping workers safe - Workplace Prof Blog posts about the Top 10 Violated OSHA Standards. Wonder how you stack up? Here's a tool so you you can learn the most frequently violated OSHA standards for your business size and industry class.

Friday FMLA fun - How well do you know the law? Take the Family Medical Leave Act Quiz.

Are you a bad boss? - Are you trying to be friends with the people you manage? If so, you top the list of Bosses' 10 biggest sins as revealed in a recent survey of 900+ employees. Take the quiz to see how good a boss you are.

Texas non-compete agreements - At HR Lawyers Blog, Chris McKinney discusses a recent Texas Supreme Court decision that changes the nature of non-compete agreements.

Posted by ESI on October 27, 2006 at 8:56 AM | Permalink

One-stop regulatory resource. Researching federal regulatory information just got a whole lot easier. The fed's new website Business.gov bills itself as the U.S. government's official link to business and a one-stop compliance resource. The site is managed by the US Small Business Administration in collaboration with more than 20 other federal agencies. The stated purpose is to serve as a gateway or single access point to government services and information.

Legal issues that keep HR managers awake at night - In an article in Human Resource Executive entitled Liable Nightmares, legal experts pinpoint and discuss five major areas of concern to human resource executives: class-action lawsuits, harassment claims, retaliation claims, leave issues, and wage-and-hour class-action cases.

More Employee Problems at Wal-Mart - It's not easy to maintain the market position as the lowest cost retailer. Its a hard fought battle, and some think that all too often, employees are the casualties. Earlier in the week, we learned how a Pennsylvania court levied a $78 million dollar judgement against the retail behemoth for requiring employees to go off the clock during lunches and breaks. Now, Business Week brings us a story about 200 Florida workers who walked off the job to protest new policies and procedures. Among the grievances: cutting the hours of full-time employees from 40 hours a week to 32 hours, with a corresponding wage cut; a policy that workers be available for shifts around the clock; and a move to computerized rather than human scheduling, which workers felt would result in erratic schedules. According to the article:

The scheduling changes, which have been rolled out in Wal-Mart stores around the country in recent weeks, are a sign that the retailer is acting on ideas outlined in an internal document that was leaked last year. In the memo, a Wal-Mart executive said it would find ways to rid its payroll of full-time and unhealthy employees who are more expensive for the company to retain.

Wal-Mart executives have recently told Wall Street analysts that the company wants to transform its workforce from 20% part-time to 40%.

This employee action has all the flavor of unionization, although Wal-Mart is strong in its anti-union stance, even closing a Canadian store that had voted in a union.

How to run a meeting like Google - You can't argue with Google's success, so you might as well learn from it. Marissa Mayer, Google's vice-president of search products, holds an average of 70 meetings a week. She shares her tips on six key steps to running an effective meeting.

Alphabet soup - Do employee benefit acronyms leave you flummoxed? Can't keep your ADA straight from your ADB? Atty. B. Janell Grenier has compiled a handy Benefit Acronym Lexicon. Also, for the latest in tax, benefits, and ERISA law, visit her blog, Benefitsblog.

Posted by ESI on October 19, 2006 at 6:27 AM | Permalink

Your employees are critical to your brand - Regina Miller at HR's Brand New Experience asks how a company can design and build a customer experience program without considering the employee experience. Her essay reminds us that building a good brand and a solid and authentic corporate reputation should start from the inside and work its way out.

A hefty lunch tab - Workplace Prof Blog discusses the recent Pennsylvania ruling, a $78.47 million judgement against Wal-Mart, for making employees go "off the clock" during lunch and rest breaks. Last year, Wal-Mart was also slapped with a $172 million judgement in California for failing to provide legally-mandated meal breaks to some 200,000 employees. Both judgements are still subject to appeal.

More on drugs - Labor and Employment Law Blog comments on Drug Free Work Week and adds a discussion about drug testing, including some helpful steps employers can take to minimize the legal risks of drug testing. While much of the emphasis of Drug Free Work Week will be on drugs, employers shouldn't forget that alcohol is arguably the drug that is most frequently abused, both on and off the job. Try the Alcohol Cost Calculator to assess the costs to your company.

To tattoo or not to tattoo - Making the rounds of the blogosphere this last week was a photo and story about Bruce Potts, a University of New Mexico instructor who sports a full-face tribal tattoo. (Another story is available at the Daily Lobo, but free registration may be required) While not commenting specifically on this person, Jack Yoest at Small Business Trends notes that one third of the population 18 to 29 has a tattoo and discusses issues related to hiring job candidates with tattoos and piercings. According to a survey conducted by Vault, 58% of employer respondents said they would be less likely to hire someone with visible tattoos or body piercings, while 38% said it would have no effect on their decision. We'd be interested in hearing your thoughts. If your company has a policy about body art, leave a comment to tell us about it.

Tenure report - The median number of years that wage and salary workers have been with their current employer was 4.0 years as of January 2006, unchanged from January 2004, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics report on Employee Tenure. More information is available in the report by demographic.

Powerful women - Fortune issued a list of the 50 most powerful women in business. How are women faring in your organization?

On the lighter side
The "Evil Human Resources Director's" take on salaries - When we compiled our list of HR calculators the other day, we were remiss in overlooking the invaluable Catbert Salary Calculator.

Power napping - We talked about sleep deprivation and the importance of sleep to good productivity the other day. Regina Miller at HR's Brand New Experience brings things to to a whole new level - perhaps your organization needs napping pods to ensure maximum productivity?

Posted by ESI on October 16, 2006 at 7:02 AM | Permalink

Recruitment: the good, the bad, and the ugly - What do Google, Starbucks, MGM Grand, and the U.S. Army have in common? Apparently, they all have refined the art of recruitment. HR Blog points us to an article by Dr. John Sullivan discussing the 12 best recruitment practices to copy. And Workplace Prof Blog points us to an article in the Wall St. Journal's Career Journal that discusses the antithesis of best practices: A Rude Selection Process Can Mirror Working Conditions

Family-friendly workplaces - Working Mother names the 100 best companies to work for, and discusses the practices that earned them a place on the list - well worth a read. Thanks to Chris Mckinney at The HR Lawyer's Blog for the pointer.

Grief in the workplace - Our sincere condolences to Brent Hundberger and his co-workers on the recent untimely death of a colleague. We often spend as much time with our work colleagues as we do with our families so a loss can be a painful and traumatic event. We've found a couple of articles that offer some words of advice for handling grief in the workplace: Coping with the Death of a Coworker and When a Co-worker Dies (PDF).

Preventing harassment - George Kittredge at Labor and Employment Law Blog reminds us that "... it generally is necessary and good business practice for employers to establish, publicize and enforce anti-harassment policies and complaint procedures. As the Supreme Court stated, "Title VII is designed to encourage the creation of anti-harassment policies and effective grievance mechanisms." He offers Six Elements Of An Anti-Harassment Policy.

Speaking of harassment - be sure to tell your managers that strip searches are against company policy - In our "what were they thinking" story of the week, we have a lawsuit dealing with restaurant managers who face criminal charges for conducting strip searches of a fellow employee. Apparently, dozens of fast-food managers throughout the country have been the victim of a bizarre hoax. Callers posing as police name an employee who is supposedly involved in a crime such as theft or drug possession. The caller directs the manager to detain that employee, and subsequently orders the manager to conduct a progressively invasive strip search of the alleged criminal. If you think this all sounds too bizarre to be true, you are sadly mistaken - just conduct a simple Google search to learn how many people have been taken in by this, and the headaches that it causes for employers ... to say nothing of the hapless victims who are subject to shocking humiliation and degradation.

Trend watch: medical tourism - The folks at Workers Comp Insider discuss the growth of medical tourism as more and more people travel to India, Malaysia, Thailand, and other countries to have surgery performed at a fraction of what such surgeries would cost here in the U.S. At least one cost-conscious employer tried to get an employee to travel abroad for an expensive procedure, raising the ire of the employee's union, which put a halt to the plans. Workers Comp Insider wonders if we will see more employers seeking to "offshore" expensive medical procedures.

On the lighter side... The Human Capitalist points us to an engaging little musical video clip that demonstrates synchronizing talent and performance management raised to an art form.

Posted by ESI on October 5, 2006 at 9:17 AM | Permalink

You think your job is bad? Monster.com just announced the finalists for their "Worst Summer Jobs" contest - go cast your vote for the "winner." I think many readers find it amusing to read these horror stories, but for those of us in HR, it is truly cringe-worthy stuff in the "how not to treat your employees" genre. Reading it also made us better understand why so many teens get injured on the job, yikes. Thanks to Brent Hunsberger of OregonianLive at Work for the pointer.

Speaking of bad jobs - Quit complaining about your job.

What is just cause? - George Kittredge at Labor and Employment Law Blog offers a "Just Cause" Checklist - seven questions that employers should ask themselves before discharging or disciplining an employee. George notes that many employers believe that their employees are employed "at will" and can be fired anytime, but the reality is that federal and state statutes offer some form of protection to virtually every employee that can cause nightmares for the careless employer. (Note - George's blog came to our attention when he was kind enough to comment on one of our posts. We've added it to our blogroll in the sidebar on the right.)

How much does problem drinking cost your company? Get an estimate at the Alcohol Cost Calculator for Business. Choose your industry, type your total number of employees, and choose your primary state of business.

Morbid obesity - Workers Comp Insider has an interesting post entitled Morbid Obesity and the ADA: Maybe Protected, Maybe Not that deals with a recent court ruling about whether morbid obesity is a condition that falls under the protection of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It involves the case of a 400+ pound driver and freight handler for Watkins Motor Lines who filed a wrongful termination suit with the EEOC. Jon Coppelman offers some good advice to employers about where to keep the focus to stay on the right side of these thorny issues.

Tired from spending too much time reading weblogs? - Too much time working at the computer can take its toll. check out these RSI exercises for preventing and healing carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive stress injuries - you can do most of them at or near your desk. If yours is a computer-intensive workplace, you may want to share these exercises with your employees.

Posted by ESI on September 22, 2006 at 12:25 PM | Permalink

Here are some items of note that we've found on other weblogs this week.

The whole world may be watching - Chris McKinney at The HR Lawyer's Blog discusses the case of a a whistle-blowing employee who uses YouTube as a vehicle for his message. In an environment where technology allows anyone to have a soapbox, Chris reminds employers to "... handle workplace issues as if the whole world is watching because... they just might be."

Genghis Khan, management guru? - What lessons can we learn from the Genghis Khan school of management? While they may not exactly fall into the "I'm OK, you're OK" school of management, Jon Coppelman of Workers Comp Insider thinks there are several lessons to be learned, and most of them positive. It's a worthwhile read.

Using social networking sites for background checks - George Leonard hosts George's Employment Blawg, a great employment law weblog that is one of our favorite regular reads. We note that he has just authored an article for CollegeRecruiter.com on the legality of employers using MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites for background checking. Some employers use information gained from such sites as the basis for firing employees or rejecting job candidates. In the article, he explores such issues as discrimination and invasion of privacy. We think his summary is worth quoting:

"I would advise employers to cut applicants and employees some slack. You were once young too and maybe did similar things -- if not publicly on the Internet. Ask yourself how relevant the information creating the negative impression is to job performance. If you are going to do Internet searches and use them as a basis for employment decisions, you better document them and do it consistently, without regard to any legally protected classifications, e.g. race, sex, age. I also agree 100% with Steven's suggestion to use social networking sites and blogs in a positive fashion in your search to find good candidates. Consider the whole person, of whom the Internet persona is not always a fully accurate reflection."

Labor Day wrap-up - Kudos to the editors of Workplace Prof Blog for compiling an excellent Blawg Review for Labor Day 2006 - a wrap-up of labor-related stories from HR, labor, and employment law blogs. There's a wide variety of interesting approaches to posts commemorating the holiday. If you are new to HR-related blogs, this is a good way to get a sampling.

More from the "U R fired" file - Diane Pfadenhauer at Strategic Human Resources Lawyer points us to another case of termination by technology. Should companies be issuing pink slips to 400 people via e-mail? We noted a similar case recently - see the last item in this post.

Posted by ESI on September 6, 2006 at 2:58 PM | Permalink

Dangerous work - What are America's most dangerous jobs? (free registration may be required) The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its annual report on workplace fatalities (PDF), complete with graphs and charts about what types of events cause fatalities and in which industries fatalities occur most frequently. Transportation incidents lead the list, accounting for 43% of all fatalities. At 14%, homicides are the second most frequent cause of work-related deaths. While the raw number of fatalities seems to have taken a slight dip, work fatalities have increased for Hispanics, blacks, and women.

E-mail burden - A typical office worker gets more than 100 e-mail messages a day. In an article entitled Businesses Struggle Under Growing Weight Of E-Mail, Information Week explores issues of productivity, confidentiality, archiving, and e-mail monitoring. And as if the burden of e-mail weren't bad enough, a Rutgers study is suggesting that workers can become "techno-addicts," potentially creating new employer liabilities. Is information and communication technology (ICT) addiction the stress claim of the future?

Workers comp fraud - Workers Comp Insider talks about claimant fraud and how to avoid it. But workers aren't the only perpetrators of fraud - fradulent employers cost the system $30 billion a year.

Unhappy workers? - Are your professional workers good targets for recruiters? Yes, if they aren't happy with their current job. Workforce Week reports on a recent survey that points to a downturn in employee satisfaction. At least one-third of the survey participants were noncommittal about staying in their present job. The article suggests that employers need to be proactive in establishing programs and communications to ensure worker retention.

Susan Heatherfield of About.com's Human Resources talks about employees' most frequent complaints, and offers a unique prescription for employers to enhance satisfaction and ensure retention: Put more fun and humor in the workplace.

Another reason to keep employees happy - An article by Leah Carlson Shepherd in Employee Benefit News discusses the link between disability and depression and suggests that integrating mental health and disability benefits can help to lower costs and improve health outcomes.

Posted by ESI on August 24, 2006 at 12:17 PM | Permalink

HR people are busy folks, so keeping up with news and trends can often get the short end of the stick when competing with very real human issues. We think one of the important functions that this blog can serve is to find and filter some of the best resources that we find out there on the Web. From time to time, we’ll feature a collection of links from other blogs that we like and read, as well as links to news stories that we think are noteworthy.

Mistakes to avoid - Susan Heatherfield of About.com's Human Resources blog talks about twenty dumb things organizations do to mess up their relationship with people - it's well worth a read. Here's a sampling - one that we see all too often:

“Fail to address behavior and actions of people that are inconsistent with stated and published organizational expectations and policies. (Better yet, let non-conformance go on until you are out of patience; then ambush the next offender with a disciplinary action!)”

Need-to-know info re: harassment - Workforce Management features an article that discusses the Supreme Court's recent ruling, which expanded the view of what the law considers retaliation against workers who complain about sexual harassment. Managers everywhere, take note. (note: free registration may be required)

Don't get caught short - Diane Pfadenhauer of Strategic HR Lawyer reminds us how critical it is for businesses to have a disaster preparedness and response plan that deals with employee-related issues. Summarizing an article from one of the largest law firms in Louisiana, she provides some concrete recommendations that employers should take before and after a crisis.

Breast-feeding at work - Do you have a breast-feeding policy in place? Brent Hunsberger of At Work reports on a new Department of Health and Human Services initiative designed to help employers accommodate mothers who are breastfeeding. He notes that returning to work has been cited as one of the top three barriers to new mothers breastfeeding exclusively for six months after their baby is born, the length of time that the Centers for Disease Control recommends.

Baseball's been very, very good to me - What do HR and baseball have in common? A lot. If you haven't yet visited author Jeff Angus's entertaining and informative blog, Management by Baseball, check out his two part series White Sox Lesson Part I:Coaching Your Players, Don Cooper Style, followed by Part 2.

Insurance at a glance - Is insurance part of your managerial purview? If so, you can follow along with important news at Business Insurance Breaking News.

Posted by ESI on August 4, 2006 at 7:01 AM | Permalink