You think your job is bad? Monster.com just announced the finalists for their “Worst Summer Jobs” contest – go cast your vote for the “winner.” I think many readers find it amusing to read these horror stories, but for those of us in HR, it is truly cringe-worthy stuff in the “how not to treat your employees” genre. Reading it also made us better understand why so many teens get injured on the job, yikes. Thanks to Brent Hunsberger of OregonianLive at Work for the pointer.
Speaking of bad jobs – Quit complaining about your job.
What is just cause? – George Kittredge at Labor and Employment Law Blog offers a “Just Cause” Checklist – seven questions that employers should ask themselves before discharging or disciplining an employee. George notes that many employers believe that their employees are employed “at will” and can be fired anytime, but the reality is that federal and state statutes offer some form of protection to virtually every employee that can cause nightmares for the careless employer. (Note – George’s blog came to our attention when he was kind enough to comment on one of our posts. We’ve added it to our blogroll in the sidebar on the right.)
How much does problem drinking cost your company? Get an estimate at the Alcohol Cost Calculator for Business. Choose your industry, type your total number of employees, and choose your primary state of business.
Morbid obesity – Workers Comp Insider has an interesting post entitled Morbid Obesity and the ADA: Maybe Protected, Maybe Not that deals with a recent court ruling about whether morbid obesity is a condition that falls under the protection of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It involves the case of a 400+ pound driver and freight handler for Watkins Motor Lines who filed a wrongful termination suit with the EEOC. Jon Coppelman offers some good advice to employers about where to keep the focus to stay on the right side of these thorny issues.
Tired from spending too much time reading weblogs? – Too much time working at the computer can take its toll. check out these RSI exercises for preventing and healing carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive stress injuries – you can do most of them at or near your desk. If yours is a computer-intensive workplace, you may want to share these exercises with your employees.