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Aug
31
HR Magazine on: employees on sex offender registries, helping smokers stop & letting workers keep guns in cars
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HR Magazine’s September 2007 issue isn’t online yet but when it is, you should be able to find it here. It will be archived here. [Update: Here’s a link to the table of contents but it looks as though you have to be a member to get to the links.]
Several articles deserve attention, but the three identified in this post’s title involve hot issues in the blogs. In fact, when I look at the table of contents in the print version, I see multiple articles that hit topics often covered by blogs. Seems smart to me. For example:
-a last page column on e-recruitment technologies;
-HR responsibilities for establishing nepotism guidelines;
-an entire page that highlights articles that appear online only (the link isn’t live as of 8/31/07 but you can go here and find many other articles) and cover issues such as how to deal with red flags showing up in background checks.
From September:
1. “Helping Workers Kick the Habit”
Northeast Ohioans may recall that the Cleveland Clinic will reject job applicants who smoke starting tomorrow. I’ve suggested that the smarter, more caring thing to do, if the Clinic really cared about getting people to stop smoking, would be to hire smokers and then help them quit. The article covers numerous aspects related to the choosing, launching and success of programs, including how to assess which ones have the best chance of working in which employment environments.
But its conclusion resonates the most when you think about the Clinic’s do or die requirement:
Roger Reed, a nurse practitioner and executive vice president of Gordian Health Solutions, a health management provider based in Franklin, Tenn., says a positive and benevolent approach can go a long way in a smoking-cessation initiative. “The biggest mistake,” he says, “is to start taking a list of smokers and singling them out with some kind of punitive action, such as saying that you have 12 months to quit or you won’t work here anymore.”
…
“Most people try to stop smoking multiple times, and it’s just that one time when they make that one more attempt that it actually works,” Reed says, adding, “You never know.” It could be that when their employer provides that extra opportunity, it just might be the employee’s time to quit for good.
2. “Weapons Policies Under Fire”
According to Dana Loomis, Ph.D., as stated in the May 2005 American Journal of Public Health, “Workplaces that allowed guns were five times more likely to have a fatality than those that didn’t allow weapons.”
The article indicates that there is a “broad coalition on the employers’ side [which supports employers as being the final arbiter of whether guns can be in vehicles on its grounds or not]-including the American Bar Association (ABA), the American Society of Safety Engineers, the Brady Center, state and local chambers of commerce, retail federations, SHRM, and individual employers of all sizes…”
For the opposing viewpoint, which holds that any prohibition of guns in employer’s parking lots breaches a gun owner’s constitutional rights, the article quotes Ashley Varner, an NRA spokesperson: “We are not being unreasonable; we’re not pushing for employees to bring their weapons into the office. We want employees to have their rights before and after work. It’s not on our agenda now as to bringing them into the workplace. One step at a time.”
When the article goes online, read it. It too is lengthy and thorough. Here’s the NRA’s statement on the issue.
3. “Full Disclosure”
According to the article, “Generally, employers are not required to look at the [sex offender] registries, says employment attorney Linda Burwell…” And, if you learn that an employee is on a registry, Burwell advises, “Don’t dismiss the employee immediately. Do an investigation…”
On the other hand, employers in some sectors are required to check, for example, in the child caring fields.
The article goes on to say that employers must consider their state’s Megan’s Law and state anti-discrimination laws, which can prohibit discrimination on the basis of criminal convictions before they make a decision about what to do with a particular employee.
Ohio’s Megan’s Law info is here and there’s more info here. The magazine will have more online resources related to this issue here, including links to a policy organization on hiring convicted felons and an organization promoting job opportunities for convicted criminals.
Who knew employee benefits law could be so topical.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:59 pm August 31st, 2007 in Politics | 6 Comments
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Aug
31
In case you didn’t know
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1. Greg J. Smith indicates in the comment at this post on PJNet that he will be providing the content of his thesis, “Movable Parts: The Retooling of the Los Angeles Times,” over several posts. If you click on the links in the PJNet post and at Smith’s blog, you’ll get an idea of what he’s done. I’m looking forward to reading it, and a little envious that Leonard has the pdf! My loss.
To get a taste of the thesis, read his first post about the project.
2. Coaches earn more than governors. This info connects to my questions about whether Adam Wasserman deserves nearly $250K for being the head of the Cleveland - Cuyahoga County Port Authority.
3. First spouse gold coins? Are they going to do ones for paramours too? Sigh - I don’t know. That’s what I thought when I first read the story - that’s all I can tell ya. First spouses put up with a lot - but does getting a gold coin really do anything for them, or us? Maybe I’m just being a sourpuss.
Here’s more on it from the Mint.
4. Roland points to a great resource: Landmark Supreme Court cases.
5. The PD writes up the pros and cons of voting by mail.
6. Good luck Michael. I’m curious to know more about what SchoolOne does though.
7. I don’t think I’ll be voting for Mike Huckabee for anything, but if this is true, well, at least I like him a little bit better.
8. Where’s The Blogger’s version? George? Seriously - you could take BFD posts and put them together through Lulu.
9. Fantastic post by The Chief Source on Katrina.
Ha! And I didn’t mention lice once.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 1:30 pm August 31st, 2007 in Politics | 6 Comments
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Aug
31
If we can’t sue them, let’s give them lice
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Please thank Roger for writing up this scenario re: Ohio’s Supreme Court’s decision that renders uninsured motorist coverage void against certain municipal entities when they cause accidents (gross generalization of a much more thorough look at Roger’s blog).
I confess to not fully understanding it, but, like knowing obscenity when you see it, I’m guessing that this is a really not good decision for people who get injured.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:24 am August 31st, 2007 in Politics | 9 Comments
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Aug
30
On altering/deleting online content, Part II
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A few days ago, I posted this entry that discussed whether the overseers of online reservoirs of information should delete or alter content when they receive a request to do so.
Today, Amy Gahran posts the item, “Fixing Old News: Business Opp as well as Obligation?” on Poynter Online. It addresses the exchange of ideas as embodied by this New York Times column, by the NYT’s ombuds (called the public edito), Clark Hoyt, and this column by one co-founder of Salon.com, Scott Rosenberg.
The crux of the dialogue, as described by Gahran, is as follows:
In a nutshell, the Times recently implemented a search optimization strategy that increased traffic to its site — especially to its voluminous archives. This meant that stories from decades past suddenly appeared quite prominently in current search-engine results.
Hoyt wrote: “People are coming forward at the rate of roughly one a day to complain that they are being embarrassed, are worried about losing or not getting jobs, or may be losing customers because of the sudden prominence of old news articles that contain errors or were never followed up.”
Hoyt’s column offered no options for redress. He didn’t suggest that the Times might start researching more disputed stories or posting more follow-up stories. Nor did he suggest that the Times might directly link archived stories to follow-ups.
Rosenberg asserts that the Times has an obligation to offer redress.
That position spurs Gahran to offer up an interesting solution that is itself a twist on another suggestion: a moderated corrections wiki.
Why any correction device at all?
Because, she writes (and I agree with her):
Journalism isn’t just like any other business. We have an obligation to accuracy — and not just today’s accuracy.
One of the great treasures of news organizations is their role as keepers of the past. They provide continuity and context for communities. That, in large measure, is why so many people trust mainstream news organizations. Trust is, after all, the foundation of the news business model. It seems to me that refusing to correct or update the historical record directly undermines that trust — and thus, the news business.
[my emphasis]
Gahran explains how the wiki would operate and re-states the reasons why it should exist:
There’s obviously a huge public demand for updates to old news stories. If news orgs don’t meet this demand, someone else undoubtedly will. In another comment to Rosenberg, Tidbits contributer Tish Grier noted: “If no one’s willing to pony up the money for the necessary staff to do this, then the new the Google News comments feature may end up making Google the ‘paper of record’ because of its quicker correction rate.”
Seems to me that if news orgs are going to bemoan how Google’s eating their lunch, they shouldn’t keeping handing it to them on a platter.
I can’t argue with that.
The thread has a few comments already. Consider adding yours.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:21 pm August 30th, 2007 in Politics | 5 Comments
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Aug
30
I just don’t get it.
But I want it explained to me in black and white.
Why are four advisory groups that Fred Nance says are intended to “put the meat on the bone” of the convention center and Med Mart project being formed now? Why weren’t they formed before the sales tax increase? So that such an increase might have been avoided? Or only a supplement? Or demonstrated to those of us who’ll be paying it to be a last resort?
I just don’t get it.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:12 pm August 30th, 2007 in Politics | 5 Comments
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Aug
30
Angela Townsend is one of my favorite buds at the Plain Dealer. We met when we were both covering the Euclid high school’s transformation to six small schools.
So I’m glad that it’s her who has written this story about how the Ohio legislature is considering a bill that would require all public schools to start after Labor Day.
Even though I wrote about it on May 29, twice - here and then here. Almost no one was covering it then or has covered it since.
Again, I am pleased that it’s a friendly face that’s covering it now and that Angela included this information:
Officials from Cedar Point and Geauga Lake amusement parks have written a position paper enumerating how a later start to the school year would boost the state’s tourism business.
Michigan’s new law pushing back start times has already had an effect at Cedar Point, according to the 15-page paper.
Last year, attendance from Michigan residents jumped 33 percent at the park in the two weeks before Labor Day.
In addition to generating more local and state revenue from tourism, the change would provide more family time and give students more job opportunities and earning potential, the paper argues.
“We’re not trying to shorten the school calendar,” parks spokesman Bryan Edwards said. “Those days can be put anywhere in the calendar year.”
But Scott Ebright, spokesman for the Ohio School Boards Association, said he takes issue with an amusement park telling local school boards how to run their schools. Teacher unions and other educator groups agree that the decision on when to open schools should be left to individual districts.
“A statewide mandate for starting schools has nothing to do with educating the state’s children,” Ebright said. “Let’s keep that at the top of the conversation, not what’s best for the tourism industry.”
DINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDING
The business section should also be all over this one, just as it should have been (and if it was, apologies to John Kroll) with the changing of daylight savings time.
Why? Because it’s the chambers of commerce, the business, the MONEY interests, who pushed the daylight savings change (more picnics, BBQs and golfing, I kid you not), and they’re pushing this one too, as those Cedar Point numbers highlight.
That is not right, as the school board rep says, and it wasn’t with the time change either.
I hope the PD let’s Angela stay on this one, because I know just how big her beat is these days and the story could get lost (do I hear a CRY for citizen journalism on this one). But follow up is incredibly important to readers, especially with an issue that affects every parent and child, not to mention anyone who works with education.
You go, girl.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:58 pm August 30th, 2007 in Politics | 3 Comments
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Aug
30
Carnival of Ohio Politics #80 now posted
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Thanks goes to Scott this week for a totally ’80s twist for the Carnival of Ohio Politics. Just call us the Blog Pack.
And, for the record, the picture below is not Georgetown. Argh. Name the school, though, I’ll buy you a drink at the next Bloggapalooza.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:02 am August 30th, 2007 in Politics | 4 Comments
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Aug
29
A business no one runs in Cleveland
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or
The Hairforce with its squad of Lice Assassins.
Right about now, I’d pay pretty much anything to get the #%&%*@Y^@# insects out of my life.
Franchise King, wanna add that to your roster of business opportunities?
Make fun of the suburbs all you want. But when cities that make that Cleveland Magazine top 20 list have outbreaks of lice? Someone could be seeing green while we’re seeing little creatures.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:11 pm August 29th, 2007 in Politics | 2 Comments
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Aug
29
I haven’t been following Unity08 very closely but I do recall that someone I know is a delegate with the party (want to re-out yourself? I apologize for forgetting who it is!).
Yesterday, I received not one but two emails from the group announcing a ballot access effort in Ohio. The email itself had no content that mentioned Ohio, and had no link to the Unity08 site, but only to an email address for Shilpi Niyogi, the National Director of Ballot Access.
There’s a chat with Shilpi tomorrow:
Mark your calendar for a web chat at Unity08.com with Shilpi on Thursday, August 30th at 12pm ET. Then, welcome Shilpi by posting a question about ballot access that will be considered for the web chat.
Though, there, on the webpage, oddly, they don’t include an email link to Shilpi. Hmm.
Anyone with an update on Ohio Unity08 efforts, please feel free to share. I don’t know if the lice and I will attend the chat or not.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:43 am August 29th, 2007 in Politics | Please comment
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Aug
29
Although many of us have been singing the tune for years, now the plea is being leveled at journalism conferences, and I agree.
This Poynter Online’s item, “J-Conferences: Please Nix the “Vs. Thinking” highlights this post by Steve Safran of Lost Remote Blog which tackles the issue of conference sessions seeming to always pit side against side: blogs v. newspapers, MSM v. citizen journalists, online v. print.
Jeff Jarvis must feel tired of reiterating this as well, because I feel as though I’ve read that he’s said this many times, “All I can say is that I look forward to a conference where we don’t have this argument and we talk about the possibilities of what we can do together.”
Again, these sentiments make this effort with the Plain Dealer all the more worth working out.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:32 am August 29th, 2007 in Politics | 3 Comments
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Aug
29
Remains of the Day, 8-28-07
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There ain’t no nits on me. My daughter? Another story.
1. Epic battle. I care for them both. Therefore, I am staying toe-tully away from it. Yup. My middle name is wimp. Big time.
2. On the other hand, expect a unique collaborative response to this next week, I hope. It’s in the works but the nits are sidelining me. In the meantime, here are some others’ thoughts (I take no responsibility for them):
The ADL
Voice of Deseret
Columbuser (who deserves the hattip for being the first place I saw the story)
Columbus Dispatch
MotherTalkers (which is related to Daily Kos)
MSNBCPolitically Correct Apostate
Alaska Pride
3. The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority has a meeting tomorrow (Weds.) about its plans:
The public meeting will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow, Aug. 29, at the Unified Technologies Center on the downtown campus of Cuyahoga Community College. The center’s address is 2415 Woodland Ave.
4. Presque Isle Downs & Casino opens this weekend in Erie, Pa. Yeehaw.
5. Last night/this morning’s lunar eclipse, on video, way cool.
6. Number and filters, filters and numbers. Who the hell really knows what’s going on? I count on Bill to tell me.
7. Open Student Television Network gets highlighted at As Ohio Goes. Nice catch, Cindy - thanks. Go check out how it’s being used, and by whom.
8. Rosa Blackwell resigns as Cincy Public schools super. She gonna double dip?
9. Judge Joan Synenberg will be one of several people at a forum (I didn’t see a date though??) regarding expungement of felony records. The judge, often touted as a popular symbol of the GOP in NEOhio, will be arguing in favor of such expungement.
Please let me not dream of tiny creatures.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:56 am August 29th, 2007 in Politics | 3 Comments
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Aug
28
Detroit’s #1 on poverty list, Cleveland remains poor too though drops (or rises?) to #4
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Ironically, I just met a couple with two kids who moved here from Detroit, for work in commercial real estate, while