HR/Employment Blogosphere Update for October 1-26, 2005
I’ve been so busy switching to the new format and keeping up with the “Our Recent Reading” page that I’ve neglected to do this update for over a month. (New readers: I had been doing it weekly, publishing on Monday, and it was a popular feature of this Blawg.)
So here comes a big update:
If any of the following “categories sounds intriguing, what are you waiting for? Click on over with the “more” link and check it out!
- Gender Matters
- Class Action Action
- A Losing Hand
- Gloom and Doom
- The Health Benefits Wave of the Future?
- Unions, Anyone?
- The Workplace as Fat Farm?
- The Training Wave of the Future?
- The Boomer Retirement Wave and Talent Wars
- The No-Commute Wave?
- Tweet Tweet!
- Har! Har!
- Political Fun & Games
- Law Review Note Noted
- Better Safe Than Sorry
- Bonus: Homegrown Reference Tool Find of The Month
Gender Matters
Drama, Conflict, Despair & Victory at Work summarizes a pair of sex discrimination cases involving sexist remarks and the “because of sex” requirement for a hostile environment claim, and also reflects on changing views of career and family amongst the female offspring of the feminist “superwoman” “having it all” generation. Money quote:
Until a “high achieving” person is defined in our culture to include the quality of parenting and nurturing, we will not be the “high achieving” nation we are called to be. Until then, each couple will have to “travel to the beat of their own drummer’ to paraphrase Thoreau. A generation of young women appears to be defining differently and for themselves just what is “the good life”.
Class Action Action
The Employment Law Bulletin covers the (not) surprising development of yet another deep-pocket brokerage being sued in a class action, this time for race discrimination in hiring and promotions.
The Employment Law Bulletin also updates us on the FedEx race discrimination class action, in which class certification was granted.
I suspect within a year or two we’ll read of multi-million-dollar settlements in these cases. (I hope I’m wrong.)
A Losing Hand
Jottings by an Employer’s Lawyer tells a tale involving allegations of blatant old-fashioned Southern racism in the gambling biz that had to go up on appeal to be recognized as such. Does this sound like direct evidence of discrimination? — “good old white boys don’t want blacks touching their cards in their face”?
Another shocking reminder of the enduring legacy of racism comes from the University of Chicago Law Scool Faculty Blog in a post about a book about extreme modern examples of residential segregation that can scarcely be characterized as “voluntary.”
And according to HRLori, ignorant religious discrimination is alive and well, as well.
Gloom and Doom
BenefitsBlog says “gloom and doom is predicted for the benefits world . . . As companies seek to compete globally, they will continue to slash wages and benefits.”
Human Resources Blog cites a gloomy fact: “one in 10 employees are clinically depressed at any given time, costing companies $52 billion in absenteeism and reduced productivity.”
The Health Benefits Wave of the Future?
We’re looking at a health savings account (HSA) arrangement for our law firm right now. Meanwhile, BenefitsBlog happens to link to a great summary of the benefits of HSAs.
Unions, Anyone?
Unions-Firms-Markets cites union stalwart Nathan Newman’s post “What Makes Unions Strong?”
What makes a strong union is one that has the discipline among members to strategically defend members interests. And the UAW has for seventy years done that year after year, not always perfectly, but in a way that has immeasurably improved the lives of their members.
No argument there. But strength is one thing, wisdom another. A union like UAW can’t rest on its laurels, but must avoid killing the goose that laid the golden eggs. Will it? GM concessions are encouraging, but may be too little too late.
The Workplace as Fat Farm?
Thoughts From a Management Lawyer somewhat skeptically reviews a U. of Chicago free-market-type idea for financial incentives to get sedentary employees (or students) to maintain weight and exercise, thus saving health care benefit costs.
Personally, I like the idea and think it could work. And the next item suggests it may be inevitable.
Human Resources Blog cites these facts:
The average medical expenditure for a normal-weight man is $1,351 a year. Men who are 30 to 60 pounds overweight cost $462 more based on added medical costs and absenteeism. Extremely obese men cost $2,027 a year more.
Average medical expenditures for normal-weight women are $1,956. Women who are 30 to 60 pounds overweight cost $1,372 more when medical costs and missed work are included. Women who weigh 60 to 100 pounds too much cost $2,485 more.
Does supply and demand have anything to do with rising medical costs? Is the medical profession manipulating the facts to discourage future doctors and keep the supply tight? Would relaxed immigration standards for medical professionals help curb upward pricing pressures?
Just what our Sunday school teacher calls “wondering questions,” provoked by this dissonant set of facts from Perfect Labor Storm.
Speaking of immigration, at the other end of the pay scale from doctors, Unions-Firms-Markets notes: “Attitude and policy shifts towards immigration in the United States is coming to a head in California where farmers are facing a possible severe labor shortage.”
The Training Wave of the Future?
About.com Human Resources has a six-item list of training trends.
The Boomer Retirement Wave and Talent Wars
Contingent Workforce links an article about talent retention in the face of the boomer retirement wave and talent wars that offers this:
While undoubtedly money talks when it comes to recruitment and retention . . . , many other factors come into play. It could be career opportunities within an organization, such basics as whether employees are treated with respect and regard by their bosses, flexibility in meeting the challenges of a work-life balance — the priority list is long and varies from one employee to another, from company to company and from sector to sector.
Contingent Workforce has other talent and training items, including one on mentoring and one on a hotel chain’s experience with a carefully designed interviewing system.
The No-Commute Wave?
The Future of Work Weblog continues to write persuasively about the benefits of “distributed work” (f/k/a “telecommuting”), including its impact on talent attraction and retention, direct economic benefit to companies, and role in a bigger vision of “sustainability.”
Tweet Tweet!
That’s the sound of a whistle blowing, of course. Ross’ Employment Blog informs us of the issue in the First Amendment public employee whistleblowing case argued recently before the Supreme Court.
One thing I like about Ross’ blogs is that he clearly separates case reporting from his opinion, stating the latter at the end under the heading “My view.”
Speaking of which, the main purpose of these little boxes in my new blog design is to clearly separate our own “voices” and “asides” from more factual material and links.
Har! Har!
H.R. eSources links to a comic with true insight into an important hiring reality: reference checking.
What if this technique became standard operating procedure?
How about this true story from iWorkWithFools ?
Political Fun & Games
Donald at All Deliberate Speed shows the graphic of the result he got taking the “Politics Test”: he’s a “Socialist”!
And me? “Social Liberal (66% permissive)”; “Economic Conservative (70% permissive)”; best described as a “Libertarian” (closer to Donald Trump and Bruce Springsteen than George Bush or Ronald Reagan).
Law Review Note Noted
Disability Law picked up a law student note on the definition of disability under the ADA.
A joy of the blogosphere: an increased chance of student law review work actually being read! I know mine was brilliant and took mucho hours, and had absolutely zero impact on the legal world, so this is very cool. And the note seems to make a worthwhile point with which I agree.
In a similar vein, LexBlog Blog talks about the future of legal scholarship being open-source, using tags, blogs, etc.
Better Safe Than Sorry
Confined Space notes a four-legged safety worry to add to a long list faced by hurricane recovery workers in New Orleans and elsewhere, and also illustrates how one company’s trivial, overblown OSHA citation can be another company’s fatality-causing negligence.
Bonus: Homegrown Reference Tool Find of The Month
BenefitsBlog reports the creation of a new tool for searching a handpicked selection of benefits-related sites. It uses Rollyo, which allows you to “Roll your own search engine.” (I guess the creators of this nifty web service have experience — or at least passive, did not inhale, familiarity — with the original meaning of “roll your own.”)
Speaking of which, the Employment Law Blog reports on a California case holding that a company may refuse to employ an individual because he or she is using marijuana for medical purposes (relief of back pain) in accordance with the Compassionate Use Act of 1996.
Time permitting, we may roll our own HR/Employment news search engine. Cool, huh? And for some reason my back hurts this week (really) !
Photo credit: washed up via flickr
