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Aug

31

HR Magazine on: employees on sex offender registries, helping smokers stop & letting workers keep guns in cars

Filed Under Politics | 6 Comments

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.

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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.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 1:30 pm August 31st, 2007 in Politics | 7 Comments 

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Aug

31

If we can’t sue them, let’s give them lice

Filed Under Politics | 9 Comments

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.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:24 am August 31st, 2007 in Politics | 9 Comments 

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