(Restored and converted into office space by attorney David Leen in 1986)July 24: Seattle's Annual Diversity Employment Day Career Fair
Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Place: Seattle Center - Fisher Pavillion 305
Harrison Street, Seattle, WA
Cost: Free
Description: Features more than 60
corporations, government agencies and non-profit organizations with thousands of
career positions.
Contact: (562) 409-0056
Website and registration: City Career Fair
In the most recent session, the Washington state legislature passed a bill amending the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD), which will make it illegal to discriminate against an individual in employment (as well as in other arenas, such as real estate, credit and insurance transactions) on the basis that they are a veteran or because of military status. Governor Christine Gregoire signed the amendments into law on April 21, 2007 and they will become effective as of July 22, 2007.
WLAD will now prohibit discrimination on the basis of being an “honorably discharged veteran” or because of “military status.” Veteran is defined as previously defined by the legislature in RCW 41.04.007 or “An active or reserve member in any branch of the armed forces of the United States, including the national guard, coast guard, and armed forces reserves.”
The Washington State Human Rights Commission also issued this press release regarding the amendments.
May 24, 2007 NSCC Spring Career Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Place: NSCC Baxter Events Center. Cost: FREE. Features more than 30 employers from industries including business, accounting, customer service, information technology, real estate, engineering, electronics, early childhood education, health/medical, office administration and more. Website and Registration.
Thanks to New York lawyer Randy L. Braun over at Juz the Fax, for alerting me to the United States Department of Labor’s new online calculator to determine correct payment of overtime, under federal law. I suspect he is correct that this tool may be used more by employees than employers, but either way it is a helpful site packed with a lot of information in addition to the “calculator.” Naturally you should also check with state law before making any final determinations about proper payment. Washington State’s Department of Labor and Industries offers a nice comparison chart regarding Washington and the federal overtime laws.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Edmonds Community College and Central Washington University are hosting a career fair. More than 50 local employers will attend. ECC campus, Triton Union Building, 20000 68th Ave. W., Lynnwood. Cost: Free. For more info (and some great tips for preparing for a successful job hunt!)
Some of the toughest calls I take are from people working for abusive bosses. They have suffered through insults to their intelligence, name-calling, conscious efforts by their boss to undermine them, and even having objects thrown around by their bosses. Unfortunately, most of the time I have to tell them that the law does not have a remedy for them unless their boss singles out his or her victim on the basis of a legally protected characteristic (age, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or having raised issues of other potential legal violations). There is no legal right to an abuse free workplace, particularly if the supervisor is an “equal opportunity” abuser (that is, they are equally awful to all of their subordinates).
A recent poll from Employment Law Alliance found that 44% of American workers have worked for a supervisor or employer they consider abusive. New Employment Alliance Poll. The types of behavior identified by the respondents ranged from making a sarcastic remark or teasing remark (60%) to criticizing performance in front of others (59%) to yelling (55%) to personal insults (50%) to spreading rumors (40%) to inappropriate physical contact (17%) to physical threats (11%). Of those behaviors, only the physical contact and possibly the physical threats might provide grounds for a legal cause of action against the abusive supervisor.
The Boston Business Journal called upon its readers to discuss the results of the Employment Law Alliance polls, and provide examples if they felt they too had worked for an abusive boss. "Battle scars: Readers pour out tales of abusive bosses" Again, of the behavior listed there by readers only the example of the boss who asked his subordinate out on a date and began treating her negatively after she declined would provide possible grounds for legal action. A lively discussion on this topic can also be found in the comments to Bob Sutton's post on the Poll at his Work Matters Blog.
Interestingly, 64% of those surveyed in the Employment Law Alliance poll felt that an employee who has been abused by a supervisor or employer should have a right to sue to recover damages. Legislation to address that issue was introduced in the Washington state legislature this January, but it appears unlikely it will make it to the floor this session. (Bill history for HB 2142)
I have observed first hand through my clients the devastating effects some vicious workplace bullying can have on an individual, and I think there needs to be some remedy. I am not unsympathetic to the HR departments and business owners who worry about the passage of such a bill as proposed this session who argue a bill like this goes too far and simply “legislates niceness.” Yet, it is clear from the survey, and the avalanche of hits one gets by searching the internet for the phrases “abusive boss” or “workplace bully”, that employers must figure out how to better protect their workforce from the truly malicious (as opposed to merely rude), or legislatures lobbied by victims may start doing it for them.
An interesting article in South Mississippi's The Sun Herald, Male sexual harassment up, touches on a trend of increased reports of sexual harassment to the EEOC by men. In fiscal year 2006, men filed 15.4% of the charges of sexual harassment/discrimination, up from 14.3% in 2005. (For more detailed statistical information, click EEOC Sexual Harassment Charges.) As noted in the Sun Herald article, it is difficult to determine whether this is male on male harassment or female on male harassment, as the EEOC does not track the gender of the alleged harasser. I know I have received more calls regarding both types of discrimination in my practice over the last couple of years.
With the new year, Washington state's minimum wage increases to $7.93 per hourfor workers 16 years and older. Fourteen and fifteen year old workers may be paid 85% of the minimum wage (=$6.74 per hour). Washington state's Department of Labor and Industries has a good general information website on compliance with wage and hour laws, including a link to the required 2007 Minimum Wage Poster (in English and Spanish).
One of my local newspapers, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, has a good article today in the business section for job hunters. In "Not all online job sites are created equal, so use them with care", career consultant M.B. Owens explains that you cannot rely completely on internet job sites to find your next job. The article also points out that most of these sites are set up for the employer, who frequently pays to advertise their openings. Still, online sites are a good tool to have in your job hunting tool box, and sometimes can help you brainstorm places to contact in a more personal fashion.
A recent article (“Learn to survive bad bosses, co-workers” - Registration may be required) offers some helpful hints on navigating a new workplace. The author points out that it is a good idea to keep a low profile the first few weeks on the job until you can really get a feel for the politics of your new workplace. There is a discussion of how to handle "bad bosses," including these three specific kinds: 1) The stressed-out good guy; 2)The self-absorbed egoist; and 3) The bad-guy destroyer.
