Here is the latest issue of “This & That” Tuesday. I hope you find it to be informative and useful.

 

Announcements

You can always check out my website for upcoming speaking engagements that are guaranteed to be of value to business owners or for a list of topics that I can speak on at Chambers, Clubs, Business Associations, etc. More details about the events, topics and Human Resources 4U, in general, can be found on my website.

 

Safelite Glass Settles Sexual Harassment and Retaliation Case for $50,000

Safelite Glass Co., the nation's leading provider of auto glass repair and replacement services, will pay $50,000 and furnish other relief to settle a federal lawsuit for sexual harassment and retaliation.

 

The EEOC's lawsuit against Safelite charged that a female employee who worked as a human resources assistant at Safelite's facility in Enfield, N.C., was subjected to unwelcome sexual comments and touching by the facility's human resources manager.  The lawsuit further alleged that when the employee complained about the sexual harassment in March 2008, the company failed to take action to stop the harassment, but rather retaliated against her by firing her. 

 

In addition to paying her monetary damages, the consent decree settling the suit requires Safelite to provide annual training on sex discrimination and retaliation, post a notice concerning employees' rights under Title VII, and provide periodic reports to the EEOC concerning how the company responded to complaints that it received, if any, concerning inappropriate sexual conduct in the workplace.  Safelite must also provide periodic reports to the EEOC concerning how it responded to any complaints it received about any other type of discrimination covered by Title VII.

 

The EEOC stated that "Once an employee complains about sexual harassment by a supervisor in the workplace, the employer is required under federal law to take appropriate action to stop it."  "Also, employers must ensure that employees are protected from retaliation after complaints are made." 

 

Management Disconnect

 

What Managers Think Employees Want:

In a study by the Labor Relations Institute of NY, managers ranked the following as what employees most value:

1. Good wages
2. Job security
3. Promotion and growth
4. Good working conditions
5. Interesting work
6. Personal loyalty to workers
7. Tactful discipline
8. Appreciation for work done
9. Sympathetic help with personal problems
10. Feeling “in” on things

 

What Employees Say They Want:

When employees were asked to rank the same characteristics, the list came out like this:

1. Appreciation for work done
2. Feeling “in” on things
3. Sympathetic help with personal problems
4. Job security
5. Good wages
6. Interesting work
7. Personal loyalty to workers
8. Promotion and growth
9. Good working conditions
10. Tactful discipline

Note that the top three on the employees’ list are the bottom three on the managers’ list. What this means, according to the study, is that unless we recognize what employees value, we are managing to a disconnect.

 

Why Do We Care?

On reason is turnover expense. Estimates vary, but 75% to 200% of annual salary is a common estimate. If you have 1,000 employees and you take $70,000 as an average salary, every 1% of turnover costs you from $525,000 to $1,400,000.

 

PBM Graphics to Pay $334,000 to Settle EEOC National Origin Discrimination Suit

PBM Graphics, Inc., a Research Triangle Park, N.C., printing company, will pay $334,000 to settle a national origin discrimination lawsuit brought by the EEOC.   The EEOC had charged that PBM violated federal law by refusing to place and/or assign non-Hispanic workers to its "core group" of regular temporary workers. 

 

According to the EEOC's lawsuit PBM routinely used temporary workers for its production needs.  The EEOC's com­plaint charged that PBM engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimin­ation against non-Hispanic temporary workers who worked in its light bindery production jobs.  Specifically, the EEOC said, from at least Jan. 1, 2003, to the present, PBM developed a "core group" of regular temporary workers.  The temp­orary workers in the "core group" were told by the company to continue to come to work for PBM unless otherwise notified, unlike other temporary workers who worked for PBM only on an "as needed" basis.  The EEOC alleged that approximately 50-75 persons were assigned to this core group, and that membership in the core group was disproportionately Hispanic, to the exclusion of similarly qualified non-Latino temporary workers.  

 

The suit further charged that PBM assigned a disproportionately greater number of work hours to Hispanic temporary workers than to similarly qualified non-Latino temporary workers, thereby denying non-Hispanic temporary workers hours of work based on their non-Hispanic national origin. 

 

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. 

In addition to the monetary damages, the settlement requires PBM to provide annual training to all its managers and supervisors at PBM's Research Triangle Park facility on Title VII and its pro­hibition against national origin discrimination in the workplace.  PBM must also post an employee notice concerning the lawsuit and employee rights under federal anti-discrimination laws, as well as provide periodic reports to the EEOC. 

 

"We hope this lawsuit reminds employers that they cannot discriminate on the basis of national origin, regardless of the national origin of the perpetrators, victims or beneficiaries of the discrimin­ation," said the EEOC.  "Employers must also re­member that they are responsible for temporary employees in their workplaces and must assign hours to them without regard to their national origin."  "Title VII requires employers to provide  equal employment opportunities to all workers including temporary workers, and  employers cannot discriminate against temporary employees in job assign­ments  or other terms and conditions of employment."

 

PBM Graphics is a full-service printing and graphics communications company which employs almost 600 full-time employees as well as numerous temporary workers.

 

Factoids

• 16% of the workforce is foreign born
• 70% of all companies use social media technologies
• 1/3 of employees say they are not saving any money

 

Computer Security Factoids

• 61% of employees say they have laptops with critical information on them
• 57% don’t have a laptop security device
• 52% don’t lock their computers
• 25% have left their laptop unsecured overnight
• 9% have downloaded a virus
• 8% have clicked on links from people they don’t know