But not in Japan.  Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dominique Strauss-Kahn are making headlines they probably wish they had never made.  While I’m not a man and can, therefore, only surmise that the root of the problem somehow goes back to The Man Gene, as John Phillips so eloquently calls it, their current woes bring to the forefront issues that some employers – or at least their supervisors – sometimes face but don’t often think about, i.e., what happens when a supervisor either engages in or is accused of sexual harassment.  When we are faced with such situations, our focus is usually on the company’s potential liability and what we can do to either prevent or limit such liability.  Of course, the best case scenario is to not have such accusations in the first place.  And, one of the best preventative measures employers can implement is training.  Oddly enough, supervisors tend to think twice about their actions when they are reminded of the consequences, which include not only potential civil liability under some state anti-discrimination statutes and other common law theories, but also the nuclear fallout that often occurs.  I’m talking about the hurt caused to their families (even if the accusations prove to be wrong), their reputations, and their jobs (assuming they still have one).  Schwarzenegger’s indiscretions may cost him at least two of these things and may now lead to an investigation into whether he used campaign money to pay for women.  Strauss-Kahn is on suicide watch, appears to have been dismissed from his high-power position, and may be watching his political career explode.  While most of our supervisors may not be in as high-profile positions as these two men, the resulting fallout can be just as devastating.  Maybe it’s a good time to remind them.                                                                         - Karen Smith

And it’s exhibit one to the wage and hour lawsuit that has just been filed against your company.  The Department of Labor (DOL) has announced the release of its first smartphone app – a timesheet that allows employees to keep track of their work hours and calculate how much they are owed each workweek.  With this app, English and Spanish speaking employees can track regular work hours, break times, and overtime hours not only for themselves but for others.  The app is currently compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, but the DOL is exploring updates that could enable similar versions for other smartphone platforms and that would enable other pay features, such as the inclusion of tips, commissions, bonuses, deductions, holiday pay, pay for weekends, shift differentials, and pay for regular days of rest.  For those employees who do not have a compatible smartphone, the DOL has a printable work hours calendar available for use that not only provides employees with a means on which to independently record their work hours but also a primer on what their employers may be doing wrong.  Of course, the DOL’s number is included at the bottom.

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