Recruiting Animal

Lunch Smell Is Human Rights Issue

A woman was fired after six weeks on the job. She took her employer to court.

According to Rex Murphy, the biggest bone of contention was the food the employee brought for lunch. She warmed it up in the microwave and her employer thought it smelled too much.

The Ontario Human Rights tribunal decided in favour of the employee. The argument qualified as a case of discrimination based on race, ancestry, ethnic origin and place of origin.

“Nothing in the evidence suggests that the respondents deliberately targeted the applicant for discriminatory enforcement of the microwave policy,” concluded the tribunal. “However, the applicant argued that she was adversely affected by the enforcement of the policy.”

The tribunal

ordered fines and costs totalling $36,000 against the employer, Ms. Tefler. Since the accused had little money, the lawyers working for the complainant decided they would go after the woman’s house — have it auctioned off

The Ontario Superior Court overruled the decision

Read more: National Post

Employee Accused of Scratching

Nunziata denies Berger’s allegations, including an accusation that she rebuked him for standing up during a meeting when his back hurt.

The only time Nunziata recalls Berger standing during a meeting, she says, was an occasion when he put his leg up and scratched his crotch.

Berger suffers from multiple osteochondromatosis, which produces cartilage growth on bones and joints. He testified that that scenario is impossible, since his disability prevents him from raising his legs.

Toronto Star - Disabled ex-aide claims councillor bullied him

HRMToday.com

Lance Haun, started HRMToday.com. TOPIC: Common HR issues NOT career issues. PARTICIPATION OPEN to HR pros.

Lance impressed me last week with the freewheeling power of his comments on JibberJobber.com. He has the angry passion necessary to make a blog interesting.

Whitey No Big Deal

Not really offensive says Chicago Tribune Staff Report.

It's hard to come up with an ethnic slur that has less of a sting than "whitey.".... Are there really white people... so threatened by minority grievances that they take genuine umbrage at the term "whitey"?

More a taunt than a threat, the word has no ugly history and hints at no particular stereotypes... it's never been used to keep a people down, to put them in their place, to rank them as subhuman.

To be truly offensive, a derogatory term needs to have an ominous context that "whitey" lacks.

Those who take offense are confusing prejudice.... with racism, which is prejudice in action. It requires them to imagine that "whitey" marginalizes, diminishes and therefore harms white people. And if they're really that dumb, then I guess they deserve to be insulted.

It was okay on Beaver.

Whitey is one of Beaver's safer friends. He's a good student and more conscientious than Beaver's other pals. Whitey is a bit nervous by nature, but that doesn't keep him from talking Beaver into crazy situations, like climbing into a giant soup bowl on a neighborhood billboard to see what's inside. -- Leave It To Beaver

Hat Tip: Neoneocon

Happy Employees, Successful Company

Herb Kelleher, the CEO says:

‘You have to treat your employees like customers. … When you treat them right, then they will treat your outside customers right. That has been a powerful competitive weapon for us.’

‘We’ve never had layoffs. …We could have made more money if we furloughed people. But we don’t do that. And we honor them constantly. Our people know that if they are sick, we will take care of them. If there are occasions or grief or joy, we will be there with them. They know that we value them as people, not just cogs in a machine.'

Source: John Hollon, Workforce

What Is a Talent Supply Chain?

Source: Kevin Wheeler, ERE

Car-makers get regular reports of car sales, then they plan production around these sales trends. They order the parts they need and arrange their shipping based on these plans.

All of the steps involved in getting the resources required to meet business goals are (together) called a supply chain.

And you can create a supply chain for skills. You figure out what skills you'll need to meet your customers needs. You draw up a list of these skill requirements and then you recruit to satisfy the needs.

The list is called a taxonomy and you have to keep it up to date to maintain the proper skills inventory for your needs.

Business planners use skills taxonomies and reports of available talent pools to assess the realism of their plans and to develop plans of action and budgets to supply the people they need.

As talent becomes a scarce resource, this sort of skills planning will become more important. Right now, IBM is a leader in this field.

Is This Sexual Harrassment?

Canadians debate propriety of comparing Michelle Obama to JLo.

With trepidation, but not embarrassment, I offer the thought that Mrs. Obama, a formerly disadvantaged alumna of Princeton and Harvard, to judge from her well-strategized appearances on national television in exiguous dresses and trousers, is as callipygian as Jennifer Lopez. (That is my only concession to political correctness for 2008; you look it up if you must.) I saw her on YouTube saying that, "Reform must be from the bottom up." In her well-favoured case, this could be a double-entendre. -- Conrad Black

Comments: For and Against

Canadian Hospital Workers Need Donuts

As an incentive to wash their hands.

The University Health Network in Toronto will give $2 Timbit coupons to wash their hands. (Timbits are tiny donut balls from Tim Horton's).

Doctors, nurses and other health-care workers at Canada's largest research hospital will soon learn that cleanliness is not only next to godliness - it also brings them that much closer to a Timbit.

But, of course, they learned it from Americans.

... Dr. Gardam said he got the idea after hearing how Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles offered $10 (U.S.) Starbucks gift certificates to doctors in a bid to increase hand hygiene compliance.

Source: Globe & Mail

The Career Shock Jock

P Trunk seduces The Recruiters Lounge.

My Complaints

1. Jim didn't post my interview when I fought with Karen. But it's okay for Penelope to fight with her. He admits it's because he loves a catfight. Isn't that sexism? Penelope thinks so.

Karen says Penelope gives her goose-bumps. Didn't someone say that men like to see women wrestle because they think they might eventually start kissing? At the start, Karen says outright that she is not a fan of Penelope's. But I had the feeling that P won her over. It gets pretty kissy by the end.

2. I see that Hank Stringer was interviewed by Jim. Hank's people sent me a request for an interview but didn't respond when I agreed. What? I'm not good enough?

3. Jim said that this was one of his "more favorite" episodes. He didn't say that to me. (But I did like what he said about strippers so I guess it's okay).

There's an air of sex in this interview

Penelope has always worked for hot bosses. If you're attracted to the person you work with it makes you really want to be there. You want to have sex but don't so she thought about having sex with her boss a lot.

At a networking event, you should sit next to people who are better-looking than you. They attract people and some of their shine lands on you.

Guys watch professional volleyball on TV because it's like porn. And, they always want to talk to Penelope about her volleyball career.

Wisconsin Fair Employment Act

Christian Schneider argues that a law which "prevents employers from considering arrest or conviction record when making hiring or firing decisions" is not good.