civility
July 1, 2008
Loose lips tighten with age, as baby boomers who now keep quiet and respect authority have learned. Younger people have grown up in an era of readily accessible information that is shared immediately. Since younger, less experienced people do not recognize the need to safeguard company and personal information; employers must clarify their expectations of confidentiality. Strategic information leaks can destroy a business. Protecting confidential information is vital, yet few businesses explain this to their employees. Every company has an in the know person who uses information to start the rumors flying. The person may be at any level in […]
June 1, 2008
President Bush signed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) into law last week. This law prohibits discrimination of applicants and employees based on genetic information. Senator Ted Kennedy who worked on this legislation for over ten years, referred to it as the first major new civil rights bill of the new century. It passed in the House 414-1 and in the Senate 95-0. Genetic information is defined as an individual’s own tests; the genetic tests of family members; and the manifestation of a disease or disorder in family members. Family member is defined as the spouse; a dependent […]
June 1, 2007
Employment attorneys warn that abusive bosses are encouraging legislation. Frequently the alleged perpetrators in discrimination cases are abusive bosses. Eleven states are considering making workplace bullying illegal. These legislative measures focus on bosses taunting and yelling at subordinates, opening the door for cases that do not involve protected classes. Bullying occurs at all levels including subordinates bullying their bosses. Why do people bully? The purpose of bullying is to gain control and power. A manager may be looking for a scapegoat or feel the need to keep a threatening subordinate in line. According to Harvey A. Hornstein, author of Brutal […]