 January/February
2005 Issue Number 67
 Is
a monthly electronic newsletter which links current events and issues
to the daily challenges faced by fire and emergency services managers.
Current topics in the areas of leadership development, workplace diversity,
change management, and conflict resolution will be discussed.
We
hope that you find the information here useful and provocative.
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National
Fire Service Staff and Command Course sponsored by Maryland Fire-Rescue
Institute. Ocean City, MD, March 9-16, 2005. Linda Willing
will be leading one session during this course. Go to www.mfri.org
for more information.
11th
International Conference of Fire Service Women March 29-April
3, 2005. Montgomery County, Maryland. Go to www.wfsi.org
for more information.
FDIC
(Fire Department Instructors Conference) April 11-16, 2005,
Indianapolis, IN. Linda Willing will be presenting a workshop on decision
making at this conference.
FDIC
(Fire Department Instructors Conference) West
June 4-8, 2005, Los Angeles, CA. Linda Willing will be presenting
a workshop on decision making at this conference.
(Note that this is a new location and month for this conference).
Internet:
Tool or Trap?
How
much time do you spend checking email and surfing the Internet on
any given work day? Be honest. You're among nearly three-quarters
of the working population if you are spending more time now than ever
before on these activities. And nearly half of all workers polled
in a recent survey admitted that they use the Internet at work for
personal business as well.
The
current average for workplace email in the United States is 54 messages
per day, up by 13% since 2002. Messages considered to be non-essential
(but excluding spam) account for the majority of the increase. More
than half of all workers surveyed said that they suffer from mental
fatigue from handling all the messages they receive, yet few do anything
to stem the tide; a third of those surveyed said that they spend several
hours at work each day on the Internet, and more than one in three
people check their work related email from home.
And
then there are the other uses of the Internet which may interfere
with work productivity. People who use their work ISP for personal
business justify it by saying that the connection is faster than at
home (23%) and that work hours are the best time to conduct personal
online activities (25%). More than a third of those responding to
the survey said they had made an online purchase while at work, with
men somewhat more likely to engage in this behavior.
The
Internet is a tremendous resource but when used improperly, it can
be a huge time waster as well. Here are some guidelines for making
the Internet work for you, rather than the other way around:
-
Have
clear organizational guidelines on Internet use while at work. If
personal business will be allowed at all, set firm limits on how
much time will be spent in this manner and during what hours. Having
a "No personal Internet surfing" rule during normal business
hours is a good place to start.
-
Be
careful about using Internet blocking programs. Some will block
legitimate sites using filters that are too broad (for example,
one fire officer who was developing a departmental policy was blocked
from researching "sexual harassment" because the key words
included the word "sex".)
-
Encourage
people to use alternate means other than email for communication.
Pick up the phone. Better yet, go see someone in person. Email is
a low context form of communication, which is best suited for simply
passing on information. It is a poor choice for communicating about
complex or sensitive topics.
-
Set
personal limits on use of email. Some people compulsively check
their email more than hourly, a practice that wastes time even if
no new messages are received. Have a designated time for checking
and responding to email, such as first thing in the morning, at
noon, and at the end of the business day. Then refrain from going
online otherwise.
-
Train
people to communicate effectively, no matter what means they are
using. Classes in written and verbal communications are valuable
for all members of the organization.
A growing
proportion of workplace sexual harassment claims are being filed by
men. In the past 11 years, claims filed by men have increased from
9% to 15% of all claims filed with the EEOC. Most of the cases involve
men claiming that other men are harassing them. Since 1998, same sex
harassment has been recognized as illegal under Title VII of the 1964
Civil Rights Act.
Source:
USA Today, September 17, 2004
Indirect Retaliation
Is an
organization liable for retaliation, even when it is directed at someone
other than the person who is being discriminated against? Yes, said
a Florida jury, and awarded a FedEx employee more than $1.5 million
for the damages he suffered.
Theodore
Maines was a senior manager with FedEx in 2001 when he attempted to
promote two employees, a black woman and a Hispanic woman. Maines,
who is white, was overruled in his decision by a vice president of
the company, who favored a white woman for the promotion. The vice
president rescinded Maines' offer letters to the two employees and
instead promoted the candidate of his choice. When Maines complained
to the legal department, FedEx gave him the option of either accepting
a demotion of five pay grade levels, or to be issued a warning letter
and face immediate termination for any subsequent infractions.
Maines
left the company shortly thereafter, and filed suit the following
year, saying he had been retaliated against for filing a discrimination
complaint on behalf of others. The jury agreed and ordered the company
to pay back wages, benefits, and damages for emotional pain and anguish.
FedEx
has said it will likely appeal the judgment, and in fact, such jury
awards are often reduced or reversed in subsequent litigation. But
the decision does send a message: that those who use complaint processes
for EEO related incidents are protected, even if they are not the
ones who have suffered the discrimination.
Source:
Associated Press, December 23, 2004
©
Linda F. Willing, 2005
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