Workforce Week®

	www.workforce.com
	July 22 - 28, 2007 Vol. 8 Issue 30

In This Issue ...

Workforce News of the Week
Feature: Supplying Second Opinions

Feature: Employer to Fine Unhealthy Workers

Forum Post: What if Your Boss Refuses to Do Accommodations?

Blog: Bad Behavior, CEO Style

Commentary: The Union-Free Good Times May Be Over in China


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Workforce News of the Week:

HR Executive Dies in New York Steam Blast: Pfizer human resources executive Lois Baumerich died of a heart attack she suffered when a steam pipe exploded in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, July 18. Baumerich helped found the National Industry Liaison Group, an organization promoting workplace equality.
Click to read more. >>>
Momentum Builds to Lengthen Pay Discrimination Lawsuit Limitations: Legislation that would overturn a recent Supreme Court decision on pay discrimination is gaining momentum on Capitol Hill. A House bill is awaiting floor action; Sen. Kennedy introduces a Senate companion measure.
Click to read more. >>>
Worker E-Mail and Blog Misuse Seen as Growing Risk for Companies: Employee misuse of e-mail, blogs, message boards and media-sharing Web sites posed a significant security risk for publicly traded U.S. companies last year, with 31.8 percent investigating a suspected violation of privacy or data protection regulations.
Click to read more. >>>
House Panel Approves Bill to Balance Mental, Physical Benefits: The bill would ensure that mental health is given the same importance as physical health, proponents say. It is heading for a collision with a Senate version that is backed by the business community.
Click to read more. >>>

Dice Rolls a Winner on Wall Street: Dice Holdings Inc. raises $217.1 million through its IPO, making the company a force to be reckoned with in the highly competitive job board industry.
Click to read more. >>>

Dow Adopts Cash-Balance Plan
Click to read more. >>>

CFO Shuffle Surges
Click to read more. >>>

TiVo Rents New CFO After Two Years of Churn
Click to read more. >>>

Employers Take Tighter Rein on Relocation Costs
Click to read more. >>>

Quick Takes:
Ignoring Junkies in the Workplace
Click to read more. >>>

Senior Managers Fretting About Leaders
Click to read more. >>>

Employees Know Best
Click to read more. >>>

Old and Unloved
Click to read more. >>>

Health care
Feature: Supplying Second Opinions

Some companies are providing employees with the option of getting a second opinion from a company that specializes in them. Sometimes diagnoses change and different treatments are offered—and employers can save money.

Tough love?
Feature: Employer to Fine Unhealthy Workers

The punitive approach taken by Indianapolis-based Clarian Health is a departure from the methods used by most employers, but it is permitted under the final rules the federal government issued in December 2006. Other employers are expected to follow suit.
Read more about employers fining workers with unhealthy habits. >>>

Also:
Employer Wellness Programs Must Follow Federal Criteria >>>
Being Healthy May Be Its Own Reward, But a Little Cash Can Also Help Keep Workers Fit>>>
States Hit Public Employees With Smoking Surcharge>>>
Will the Obese Be Penalized by Insurers Like Smokers?>>>

Discussion
What if Your Boss Refuses to Do Accommodations?

Posted in the General Forum:

A reader writes: "We have a federal lawsuit pending because an employee with a known lung condition was moved to an office subject to auto fume exhaust via the window and was denied an accommodation. The employee’s doctors removed him from work. The employee said the agreement made to return to work was that there be no vehicles in the area or in the garage bay directly across from the window. … My current problem is the boss has just recently decided to park his work vehicle and the shared pool vehicle in the same area outside that employee’s window. … The employee feels this is harassment and I think my boss is crazy for doing it with a pending lawsuit, but he doesn’t have to pay for the lawyers. He seems to be allowed to do whatever he wants, and going over his head isn’t an option. The lawsuit is for the previous offense. Can they add this current one in? Is there a good way to protect myself and resolve this, or am I in over my head?"

Join the discussion. >>>

Blog: The Business of Management
Why the Rich Get Richer

I’ve been in the workforce long enough that I remember a time when companies sometimes hired a person even though they didn’t have a specific job for them. It didn’t happen often, and it sometimes turned into a problem, but when it worked, it was kismet.

Commentary
The Union-Free Good Times May Be Over in China

For years, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the only legally recognized workers organization in China, had been passive insofar as foreign-invested enterprises in the country have been concerned. But multinational companies like Wal-Mart and McDonald’s are striking unionization deals with the federation, and that’s a signal that those days could be over.