October 31, 2013
October 31, 2013
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The purpose of the Women’s Bureau was to establish policies to promote the welfare of wage-earning women, improve their working conditions, increase their efficiency, and advance their opportunities. The Bureau was established by the Department of Labor in 1920, the year women won the right to vote and comprised 21% of the gainfully employed in this country. It grew out of an agency named Women in Industry Service which investigated the readjustment women were having after World War I. Like the Women in Industry Service, the Women’s Bureau investigated working conditions and industries accepting female employees. Subsequent reports by this […]
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September 24, 2013
September 24, 2013
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Open office designs promote flexibility and space conservation. When combined with multiple electronic communication systems an interruption-rich work environment is created. Evidence shows exhaustion, error rates, stress, anxiety and physical ailments increasing with frequent interruptions. A Rice University study published in the Academy of Management Review distinguished four types of work interruptions; intrusions, breaks, distractions and discrepancies. The study looked at the type of work and the personality style of the employee to discuss the impact of each type of work interruption. An intrusion is defined as an unexpected encounter initiated by another person that brings an individual’s work to […]
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August 28, 2013
August 28, 2013
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Performance appraisals have received a lot of criticism over the past several years. Most supervisors and employees dislike the whole process. Perhaps because it is a process; an annual paper exercise requiring the supervisor to make judgments about each direct report. There is a great deal of information available about what’s wrong with performance appraisals. In 2010, Samuel Culbert wrote a book titled Get Rid of the Performance Review. His primary arguments include the top-down evaluation, lack of honesty, focusing on past performance and ratings negatively affecting teamwork. What needs to be explored is why companies evaluate employee performance. Some […]
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July 23, 2013
July 23, 2013
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The risk of vicarious liability for harassment and hostile work environment looms a little less large as a result of a recent Supreme Court decision. Vance vs. Ball State University narrowed the definition of “supervisor.” Employers should not jump to the conclusion that only supervisors can cause liability in harassment or discrimination cases. Employers have the duty to provide a healthy and respectful work environment. The Supreme Court found Faragher v. Boca Raton and Burlington Industries, Inc. v. Ellerth instructive landmark sexual harassment cases. These cases established the need for employers to demonstrate a well- communicated policy and complaint procedure, […]
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