In District of Columbia v. Heller, the U.S. Supreme Court was presented with the question of whether the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects only the right to possess and carry a firearm in connection with military service or protects an individual’s right to possess and carry a firearm for his/her own lawful purposes, such as self-defense.  In a 5-4 decision with enormous implications for our society as well as the workplace, the Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to bear arms, irrespective of the military.  This long-awaited decision has received extensive media coverage.  (Click here, here, and here.)  I’ll give my take on what this means for employers and the workplace a little later in this necessarily longer-than-usual post.

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Have you reviewed your handbook lately?  If not, you need to.

When you review it, do so in three ways.  First, write down all the policies you think should be included.  Then compare that list with the policies actually in your handbook.  Then decide whether changes should be made.  Second, review the handbook to make sure it’s factually correct.  If a review hasn’t occurred in a while, your handbook is probably factually incorrect to some extent.  Third, have your lawyer review it to make sure your handbook’s language is legally proper and current.

Check ‘em out. (more…)

Here’s the Corporate BS for June 22-28: (more…)

Sexual harassment continues to be a bane in many workplaces.  Everyone knows it’s unlawful, but everyone still doesn’t know what it means.  If you’re a manager and you approach this subject by trying to see how close you can get to the line without going over it, that’s a clear sign you shouldn’t be in management.

At the same time, it’s fair to say that men and women sometimes draw different lines.   There are honest miscommunications.  And there are misunderstandings about what the law on sexual harassment says.  Take the recent case of Klopfenstein v. National Sales and Supply. (more…)

Bob Dylan’s song is an indictment of rural landlords, but much of what Dylan sings about rings true for other workplaces as well.  Check out a young Dylan singing this work song, which was one of the first he played with an electric guitar.

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It’s happened again.  A Kentucky workplace is the site of the latest incident of violence.  Before killing himself, an enraged employee killed his supervisor and four co-workers within a matter of minutes.  As the plant manager said, it was the “worst day of my life.” (more…)

For most of us, the economy’s woes are so complicated and vexing that we don’t know where to begin.  We’re just trying to hang on, hoping the housing market will recover, gas prices will decline, and recent Midwest floods won’t cause food prices to spike.  Meanwhile, the CEOs of the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index have solved the economy’s problems.  How did they do it? (more…)

Interviewing for a management job can be stressful.  Some interviewers have been known to throw a curve ball to see how the candidate reacts.  Some have been known to be unduly rude, funny, weird or serious just to see how the poor interviewee responds.  Then, there’s the Monty Python interview.

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The Boston Celtics won their record 17th National Basketball Association Championship.  It took this storied franchise 22 years to add number 17 to its remarkable list of championships.  Celtic pride has finally returned to Boston, but Celtic pride is complicated.  In a thoughtful piece, Jason Whitlock provides perspective.  He also provides food for thought about diversity in any workplace. (more…)

Although Ron Paul never had a chance to become the presidential nominee of one of the major parties or to become Preisident of the U.S., he is a man of interesting ideas.  You may not agree with him, but you have to admire him for speaking his mind and not just saying what he thinks he needs to say to get votes.  Although I’m sure he didn’t have employers in mind when he said the following, his quote provides meaningful guidance to leaders of all kinds, including those in the business world.

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Please don’t think that the immediately preceding post was an endorsement or non-endorsement, because it wasn’t.  It was just the expression of despair. (more…)

On March 18, 2008, after the first Reverend Wright flare-up, Barack Obama gave his speech on race in America.  It was brilliant.  After Reverend Wright continued to spout off, Obama quit his church.  That was troubling. (more…)

Try as I might, I couldn’t find or think of a tip of the week better than that given by Michael Wade, whose blog Execupundit I’ve referenced before.  It’s as good a human resources tip as I’ve seen in a while.  Print his tip out, and read it every day.  Email it to others.  Post it in the breakroom.  Follow its advice.