Nearly 54% of HR professionals have had to discipline employees for wasting time on the Internet, according to recent research from content security specialist Clearswift.

In addition, more than 46% have encountered or had to discipline employees for accessing pornographic sites at work. According to a Clearswift press release, another 14% of HR professionals surveyed said they have had to discipline employees for confidential data leakage, and 7% reported having to do so for posting inappropriate content on social media sites, blogs, and wikis.

Sixty-four percent of respondents said their firms continue to block access to social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, 63% block access to wikis and blogs, and nearly 70% prevent their employees from accessing video or photo sharing sites such as YouTube and Flickr.

“While 87% of the people we surveyed reported that their organizations have a written Internet use policy, only 61% of their companies actually have a technology solution in place to enforce the policy - 20% of the respondents didn’t know if they have a solution in place,” said Stephen Millard, VP Strategy at Clearswift, in the press release.

Only 35% said their companies’ Internet usage policies covered the use of Web 2.0 sites and technologies, while 25% said they did not know.

When it comes to policy enforcement and monitoring, the survey found HR professionals are deferring to the IT department. Fifty-five percent of those surveyed said monitoring is left to the IT department. In the event of a violation of the acceptable use policy, 47% of respondents said they rely on their IT department to notify them if they believe a breach has occurred.

Only 3% reported that their HR department monitors employee Internet use and determines if a breach has occurred. In 15% of the cases, the HR department is automatically notified by the IT system of a possible breach. Almost a quarter (23%) reported that employee Internet usage is not monitored, but HR will investigate if notified of a possible breach by an employee or manager.

Given a list of 15 benefits and characteristics that may be important in choosing a job, “how much one is paid, the total compensation” ranked 10th among American workers surveyed.

The health insurance plan offered with the job ranked at the top of the list, with 84% saying it is very important, according to the survey report. Job security and clarity in the rules at work ranked next (82% each), followed by the retirement or pension plan offered with the job (76%).

The fifth-ranked important job characteristic was working in a flexible, family-friendly workplace, chosen by 71% of respondents.

The survey found differences among demographic groups. Health insurance was ranked high by more women than men (89% v. 78%), as was a retirement plan (81% v. 72%). A family-friendly workplace also received more votes from women.

Eight of the characteristics ranked as more important by minority Americans than by white Americans and none were less important.

Having the potential for promotions is very important to Gen X workers (74% of those age 18-29), compared with Baby Boomers (58% of those age 42-61). Job security was also more important to the Gen X group (88%) than Boomers (79%), the report said.

The retirement plan at work ranked as very important to 84% of government employees, 72% of those in private business, and 73% of those who work for non-profits. In several key areas respondents said state and local jobs offer better options.

In terms of overall job benefits, a majority (58%) said state and local government is better; 23% see no difference, and 14% said private jobs are better. The numbers are almost exactly the same for job security, where 58% said state and local careers are better. Sixty-two percent of private-sector workers and 63% of government workers agreed that government jobs provide better benefits.

The telephone survey of 1,200 adults age 18 and older in the continental United States was conducted October 24, 2007 - November 4, 2007, by Princeton Survey Research Associates International for The Center for State and Local Government Excellence.

The long-time doorman for a New York City apartment building has been suspended for a day for the third time. His offense? Bad breath.

The New York Daily News reported that Cooper Square Realty, the management firm overseeing the apartment building at 525 E. 89th Street suspended doorman Jonah Seeman for having “severe breath odor while on duty.” Seeman, who has manned the apartment building’s door since 1967, was also suspended for a day in May and again in July.

Officials with Cooper Square Realty, the apartment management company, did not return calls seeking comment, according to the newspaper.

For his part, Seeman denies his breath is worse than most and says he’s taken steps to alleviate the problem. “I’m not using garlic anymore,” the 60-year-old Seeman told the Daily News. “I use mouthwash and I use breath mints on the job.”

He’s even seen a doctor about it, according to the newspaper. “He’s fine. It’s just bad breath,” Dr. Dean Giannone, a Staten Island internist, told the newspaper, adding that Seeman’s bad breath is nothing extraordinary.

Resident Adam Reingold also defended his doorman. “His job, which he does well, is opening the door - not to be opening his mouth,” Reingold, told the Daily News.

Seeman said he can’t understand why after 40 years on the job management is now accusing him of bad breath. “This really hurts me. I don’t want to be out of a job,” he told the newspaper.

The union that represents Seeman, Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, has filed a grievance in the case.

A recent OfficeTeam survey found nearly two-thirds (65%) of executives surveyed prefer to receive e-mail over other forms of communication, up from 34% a decade ago.

Executive preference for face-to-face meetings dropped from 44% in 1997 to 31% in 2007. Only 3% of executives surveyed said they preferred a paper memo for communication.

Diane Domeyer, executive director of OfficeTeam, noted in the release that e-mail can be convenient and provide historical context, but it comes at a price, as messages can get lost in the shuffle.

To ensure messages are well-received, OfficeTeam offered these five tips in the release:

• Make it clear State the purpose for the message upfront so the important points will show up in the recipient’s e-mail viewing pane.
• Avoid copying everyone Only forward messages to those who are directly involved with the topic being addressed.
• Keep it brief Do not expect others to read a long message or e-mail chain. Forward the background information, but provide a brief summary first rather than saying “see below.”
• Don’t cry wolf Only mark a message “urgent” when it is truly critical for the recipient to read it immediately.
• Provide context Describe the e-mail contents in the subject line so the recipient can prioritize messages and search for your note in the future.

The survey was developed by OfficeTeam and conducted by an independent research firm, and includes interviews with 150 senior executives at the nation’s 1,000 largest companies.

A new survey found more than half of all full-time employees surveyed plan to take time off in December - a month filled with several major holidays including Kwanzaa, Hanukah, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.

Tthis year in particular, with both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve falling on Mondays, many will have long weekends from both. Sixty-three percent of employed full-time survey respondents plan to take the day off on Christmas Eve, with 49% having the day off as a holiday, while 53% are planning to take the day off on New Year’s Eve, with 36% having the day off as a holiday.

With such high levels of planned absenteeism, some employers have decided to give employees the week off between Christmas and New Year’s. Eighteen percent of survey respondents work for employers who will be closed during the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Regardless of whether or not their places of work close down, 32% of respondents said they typically take this week off, the release said.

Among those whose employers offer paid time off, 27% are not allowed to carry over any paid time off from one year to the next. Twenty-five percent of respondents said they typically take time off in December to use their allotted days off before year’s end.

Among full-time employed adults surveyed, only 20% said they use an automated system or software to submit time-off requests, meaning that the vast majority are submitting their requests for time off verbally or in writing.

The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive and sponsored by The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated. It was taken November 29 and December 3, 2007, among 2,949 U.S. adults aged 18 and over 972 of whom were employed full-time.

Hewitt Associates has found the annual holiday bonus as a way to reward employees is losing favor as 63% of surveyed companies said they will not award holiday bonuses this year.

According to a news release from Hewitt, 90% of companies indicated they are relying on variable pay plans (performance-based bonuses that must be re-earned annually) to show appreciation for employees this year. In 2007, actual company spending on variable pay as a percentage of payroll is 11.8%, and spending on variable pay in 2008 is projected to remain strong at 11.6%, the release said.

The 2007 holiday study of more than 350 organizations revealed that more than half (53%) have never offered a holiday bonus, and 10% have discontinued their programs. Companies that discontinued their programs said they did so primarily due to cost (50%), development of pay-for-performance programs (37%), or difficulty in administering bonus programs (16%).

Of those companies that never offered a holiday bonus program, 54% said that all rewards are tied to performance, 34% said they never offered one due to cost, and 29% never considered such a program.

Of the 35% of companies that will offer a holiday bonus program in 2007, 42% said they will provide gift cards, 41% will award cash, 25% will give employees a gift of food, and 20% will give some type of catalog gift.

Reasons for providing holiday bonuses, according to the Hewitt survey, included:

• To say thank you and/or show appreciation (69%),
• To maintain tradition (11%), or
• To boost morale (16%).

More than two-thirds (70%) of companies surveyed who offer holiday bonuses said that all employee groups are eligible, while 17% said only full-time employees are eligible. Holiday bonus programs were most prevalent in the insurance industry (61%), followed by health care (50%), manufacturing (39%), retail (37%), financial services (16%), and the pharmaceutical industry (8%).

In addition, Hewitt found 70% of surveyed organizations plan to host a holiday party this year, up from 65% last year. Of these, 24% will spend $5,000 or less on their parties; 12% will pay between $5,000 and $10,000; and 27% will spend between $10,000 and $25,000. Fifty-six percent of companies said they hold holiday parties after work hours and 65% hold them at offsite locations.

Having a coffee break or two plays an important role in getting many people through their work day, according to a new survey.

A news release from the CareerBuilder Web site said 49% of workers take a coffee break at least once, while 32% head to the coffee machine at least two times each workday.

But the survey found that people are taking the opportunity presented by their caffeine breaks to do a lot of other unusual things (ranked by CareerBuilder):

1. Proposed marriage
2. Judged a “Best Legs” contest
3. Shrink wrapped a co-worker’s new car
4. Did step aerobics by his cubicle
5. Left the office to chase a weasel outside
6. Had a burping contest
7. Ran a race in a wedding dress
8. Kissed another employee in the stairwell
9. Did a fast re-enactment of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show”
10. Walked a new-born turkey around the building

Only 15% of respondents said they looked for another job while getting more coffee. When broken down by industry, banking and finance workers are the most likely to search for a job during their coffee breaks at 29%, followed by health care at 21%.

This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 5,600 U.S. employees (employed full-time; not self-employed; with no involvement in hiring decisions) ages 18 and over between June 1 and June 13, 2007.

It may be the season for a hearty Ho-Ho-Ho, but it is also still a time for more work for many employees.

A new survey by finance staffing firm Accountemps found that nearly three in ten of those polled (28%) said their to-do list is longer during the holidays, while another 42% said their professional pace stays about the same.

Just over one in four (26%) said their professional tasks actually are fewer during the holiday season.

“In many industries, multiple projects must be completed before the close of the year, making it an especially busy period,” said Max Messmer, Chairman of Accountemps, in a news release about the study. “Many employees also take vacation days during the holidays, which can leave fewer staffing resources available.”

The survey was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with 539 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in an office environment.

If you were planning to be a no-show at your company holiday party, you might want to reconsider.

Employees who snub the annual office party may miss a prime opportunity tor networking, according to a list of five potential holiday party social miscues from employment Web site Monster. Office parties can provide an opportunity to branch out in an organization by meeting co-workers and managers from other departments with whom the employee might not have regulator contact.

Party absentees could also be seen as being pompous, Monster warned in a news release. It also warns that employees should be conscious that their holiday party antics could be fodder for internal gossip mongers for months to come.

As far as guests are concerned, Monster recommends “bringing someone who presents well in conversation with co-workers and superiors — not simply a person who looks good in evening wear.”

In addition, employees should not forget to reap the brownie points that may come from thanking the event organizers, or, if appropriate, the manager who approved the party.

“The most important thing employees should always remember regarding office holiday parties is, regardless of where the party is held, it is an extension of the workplace and you need to behave accordingly,” said Lori Erickson, vice president of human resources at Monster, in the release. “Employees should have fun, but remain cognizant of the fact that these events provide a great opportunity to casually network with colleagues, people in other departments, and even executives. And, of course, getting drunk and making a spectacle of yourself can haunt you long after the holidays are over.”

Additional party tips can be found HERE.

According the new American Express Business Gifting survey businesses will be giving employees gift cards more than any other category of gift this year.

The survey found 92% of responding companies say they will be giving year-end gifts to their employees, but only 64% of employees say they expect they will get a gift from their employer. Among companies choosing to give individual employee gifts at year-end, gift cards are at the top of the list (42%), according to a press release.

Spot cash bonuses came in second as a gift choice (37%), followed by company products (35%), food/food baskets (26%), merchandise (25%), and time off (24%), the release said. When it comes to clients and customers, 14% of surveyed companies said they will give their client a gift card.

In order of importance, employees indicated they most want cash (44%) as their year-end gift, followed by time off (17%), and gift cards (15%).

Most managers of medium- and large-sized companies are given guidelines in selecting gifts for their clients (62%), according to the survey. Four in ten are guided on how much to spend on their clients, and 19% are offered guidelines on preferences (personal vs. “desk-based”). The average amount spent on a client gift this year, as indicated by the survey, is $38.50.

Employees are split on whether to get their bosses a holiday gift, American Express said. Forty eight percent say it is not a good idea, with 22% saying it is inappropriate, 13% saying a gift from employees is not wanted by the boss, and 13% saying getting the boss a gift is “kissing up.”

Nearly half (47%) of surveyed employees said giving the boss a gift is okay. Of those respondents, 28% said it is due to the nature of their working relationship with their boss, 11% that their boss is their friend, and 8% because they think it is expected.

The survey found companies will be taking part in special end-of-year activities as well - indicated by 86% of respondents. Three out of four companies said they will mark the holidays with team lunches, dinners, and special events.

About half of respondents said they will host an in-office party (53%), and an almost equal number (51%) will host a party at a hotel or party space. Many companies (46%) will extend party invitations to spouses and friends.

In addition, many employers indicated they are planning group activities such as volunteering in a soup kitchen (43%) and gift exchanges (41%).

Twenty-seven percent of respondents working at a company that hosts a holiday event say they find these parties “fun and interesting,” nearly half say they “can take it or leave it” (48%), and small numbers believe that company parties are either “the event of the year” (4%), or are “to be avoided at all costs” (4%).

The American Express survey on employee incentives and corporate gifting was done in two parts. A telephone survey was administered between October 10 and October 24, 2007, among 501 Human Resource Managers working for a company with 100 or more employees. A second survey was conducted between October 10 and October 24, 2007, via telephone among 511 employees working for a company with 100 or more employees.

Thirty percent of workers surveyed by CareerBuilder.com admit they shop online for the holidays while at work. The survey found nearly one quarter (24%) of workers who holiday shop online at work expect to spend two or more hours doing so this year. Thirteen percent plan to holiday shop online for three or more hours and 5% anticipate spending five or more hours.
 
Other Internet usage while at work, the survey found, included:

• Research: 61% of workers said they use the Internet for non-work related research and activities while they are at work. Among these workers, 20% spend on average more than an hour of their workday on non-work related online activities and 9% spend more than two hours.
• E-mail: 60% of workers reported they send non-work related e-mails at work, with 20% saying they send six or more per day. Of those who send non-work related e-mails, 22% spend more than 30 minutes during the typical workday doing so.
• Instant Messaging: One-in-five workers (21%) reported they send instant messages while at work. Of those who IM, 45% said IMing makes them more productive.
• Networking: Nearly two-in-five workers (37%) have a social networking profile.  One-third (33%) of those with a profile admitted they spend time on their social networking page during the workday with 9% spending 30 minutes or more.
• logging: One-in-ten workers (12%) have a personal blog, but only 20% of them update it at work. Of those who do blog at work, only 6% spend a half hour or more blogging.

Employees should do their online shopping during their lunch hour or breaks, as 50% of employers monitor employees’ internet usage. However, only 2% of employers said they have fired an employee for holiday shopping online.
 
Seventy-one percent of hiring managers surveyed said Internet use at work for non-work related activities negatively impacts productivity. Of the 50% of employers who reported monitoring employees’ online activity, 23% said they monitor both time spent online and content, 19% said they monitor content only and 8% just monitor time spent, the release said.
 
Nearly one-in-five employers (18%) said they have fired an employee for using the Internet for non-work related activities. More than one-third (35%) of employers surveyed said their company monitors employee e-mails and 7% said they have fired employees for sending non-work related e-mails.
 
The survey included 5,989 workers and 2,929 hiring managers and human resource professionals.

As many as 18% of U.S. companies do not offer severance for regular non-executive employees, according to a new poll. A news release said the study by WorldatWork and Innovative Compensation and Benefits Concepts LLC (ICBC), an HR consulting firm, found that of those employers with a severance plan, 71% use years of service to figure the amount of severance payments. Nearly one-third of companies (31%) offer a week’s salary per year of service, while one out of every five employers (20%) provides two weeks of salary for every year.
 
Employers also consider an employee’s position (21%) and pay (17%), according to the announcement.
 
Of the companies paying severance, 42% offer a three-tiered structure focusing on the top executive, all other employees. The poll found that only 37% of surveyed companies have detailed severance plans and policies in writing.

Also, annual reviews of non-executive severance plans are rare. In fact, 69% of organizations have not reviewed their severance plans in at least the past year, while 13% reported having never reviewed their plans.

Study author Bob Jones asserted in the news release that annual reviews of an organization’s severance and change-in-control plans, especially because of the size and importance of these plans, should be conducted by Compensation Committees. “This is a best practice in general — in conjunction with a tally sheet analysis of the top executives’ Total Rewards — in order to ensure that plan costs are being prudently monitored,” said Jones. “This is best done by making this topic an agenda item that is covered on a regular, recurring basis.”

The Severance and Change-in-Control Practices 2007 survey was conducted in June 2007. Surveys were sent electronically to 4,590 WorldatWork members with a response rate of 11% (523 responses).

Three-quarters of employees in a recent poll said it doesn’t make any difference to the quality of their work whether their supervisor is on the premises or not.

In fact, 23% of the survey respondents — the survey was conducted by employee assistance program provider ComPsych Corporation — boasted that they actually get more work done when the boss is away.
 
A scant 2% admitted they tend to put off work when the boss isn’t at their elbow measuring their progress.

“The survey proves what smart managers have known all along — employees are self-motivated for the most part and micro-managing is not effective,” said Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz, chairman and CEO of ComPsych, in a news release about the survey. “Employees perform and excel when they have a healthy work environment, clear-cut expectations and goals and the right support from their managers. Training programs from behavioral health experts and consultants can help develop the sort of managers who bring about the best results.”

Nearly 45% of employees say their employer bars access to the social networking Web site Facebook, saying their companies see it as productivity hindrance or security concern, a recent survey found.

According to the survey by security company Sophos, of the 50% of companies that allow access to Facebook, some view it as a valuable networking tool while others are nervous about the possibility of an employee backlash to a ban, CNET News.com reported.

Seven percent of employees say that access to the site is restricted depending on whether the site is required for a particular job.

“I think it’s a growing concern for employers for a number of reasons,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, told CNET.com. “The most pressing concern at the moment is one of productivity. Some people are spending an inordinate amount of time on nonwork-related Web sites.”

In a separate poll by the company, 66% of workers said they are concerned about colleagues sharing information on Facebook.

In terms of security concerns, 41% of Facebook users are willing to divulge personal information to complete strangers.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) finally revised the I-9 employment verification form and the Handbook for Employers.

It is required that all employers complete an I-9 form for all employees within the first three days of employment. The new I-9 reduces the number of documents an employee may present to prove employment eligibility in the United States.

Five List A documents, which prove both identity and employment eligibility, were eliminated and can no longer be accepted by employers:

• Certificate of U.S. Citizenship (Form N-560 or N-570);
• Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570);
• Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-151);
• Unexpired Reentry Permit (Form I-327); and
• Unexpired Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571).

Form I-766, the Employment Authorization Document, was added to List A.

A major change is in the instructions for Section 1 that the employee is required to fill out. The worker is no longer required to provide their Social Security number unless the employer participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify).

All previous versions of the I-9 form and Handbook for Employers are no longer valid and should not be used.

Employers must use the amended Form I-9, dated June 5, 2007, for all individuals hired on or after November 7, 2007. However, USCIS recognizes that employers should be afforded a period of time to transition to the amended Form I-9. The Department of Homeland Security will publish a Notice in the Federal Register announcing that it will not seek penalties against an employer for using a previous version of the Form I-9 during a 30-day transition period that begins on date of publication of the Notice.

After the transition period, employers who fail to use Form I-9 (Rev. 06/05/07)N may be subject to all applicable penalties. Employers do not need to complete new forms for existing employees, but must use the new forms for new hires or if an employee is required to re-verify employment eligibility.

The new I-9 form and the revised Handbook for Employers are available online at www.uscis.gov. Purchasers of Your Employee Handbook have already been sent the updated form and manual; future purchasers will receive it in their download package.

Following the lead already set in 20 states, the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 7 voted 325-184 to approve the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a bill that would prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. The ban on discrimination proposed by Congress applies to employers with 50 or more employees, but provides an exemption for religious institutions who are also employers, such as nondenominational religious schools.

Many of the Democrats who opposed the bill voiced opposition because the bill did not go far enough. They also wanted protection from discrimination based on gender identity. (Gender identity focuses on appearance, mannerism, and the like. For instance, an effeminate man could complain of discrimination based on gender identity if he is treated poorly because he does not act masculine. Often, gender identity is associated with transgenderism and transvestitism.) Such protections may find their way into the legislation in a future session of Congress.

Plan now to modify your employee handbook and internal operating procedures to reflect the coming legal change. The changes that will be needed are not substantial. Most local employers simply will need to add the words “sexual orientation” to their policies covering harassment and discrimination. Investigations into allegations of sexual orientation discrimination should be handled just like investigations into other forms of discrimination.

Most likely the final legislation in this area will authorize the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate claims and enforce claims of sexual orientation discrimination.

Purchasers of Your Employee Handbook will receive an updated Non-Discrimination Policy to replace the current policy.

A new survey from LifeCare, Inc. indicates caregiving duties interrupt the workday or require work schedule adjustments.

The survey found 24% of workers surveyed who care for a child or elder said they often have to make phone calls/arrangements during the work day. Twenty-two percent said they often have to leave work early, while 16% reported having to take the day off to tend to caregiving duties.

Arriving at work late was an adjustment to the work schedule created by caregiving cited by 14% of respondents. Five percent said they have to ask their spouses to adjust their work schedules at times.

Nineteen percent of respondents chose the “other” category of work schedule adjustments, which LifeCare said included changing from full-time work to part-time work, changing work shifts, waking up earlier, and leaving work at lunch.

“Obviously, people who care for children and older adults are going to need to make adjustments to their work schedules from time to time,” said LifeCare CEO, Peter G. Burki, in the release. “But employers can reduce their absenteeism and productivity losses by providing employees with support tools such as resource and referral services and backup care programs.”

We’ve recently fielded several questions from subscribers asking about the Employment Eligibility Verification Form, known as Form I-9. The questions arise because the expiration date on Form I-9 in current use is March 31, 2007.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has yet to update the form with a new expiration date. The agency says it is working on updating the form and that employers should continue to use the current version in the meantime.

“The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number on the current Form I-9 expired March 31, 2007,” the agency says on its website. “USCIS is working on issuing a Form I-9 with an updated control number. This expiration does not affect employers’ requirement to comply with employment eligibility verification responsibilities, and employers should continue to use the current version of the Form I-9 until an updated form is posted on this website.”

When the agency publishes the updated form, we’ll notify purchasers, who will be able to download it from the private Download Area of YourEmployeeHandbook.com.

In August, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it planned on publishing a rule that would reduce the number of documents employers must accept to confirm the identity and work eligibility of their employees. Such a change would take months to go through the regulatory process before becoming effective.

Currently, there are no fewer than 29 categories of documents that can be used to establish identity and work eligibility. The department says the sheer quantity of documents is an invitation for fraud because employers lack the capacity to verify the authenticity of all the documents.

More than 60% of college students expect to stay with their first employer for less than three years and 34% say they plan to change jobs every three to four years, according to the College Student Career Confidence Survey.

The survey of 247 recent college graduates and students found that only 16% never plan on spending more than three years at a job, while 50% expect to switch employers every five years or longer.

The top factors most important to college graduates when considering which employers to work for are:

• Opportunities for career development
• Work/life balance
• Good rapport with bosses and co-workers
• Employers valuing their opinions
• Receiving positive feedback for a job well done
• Getting information in a timely manner.

“Understanding what motivates recent graduates is important if you want to keep them in your organization for more than three years,” said Douglas Matthews, President and Chief Operating Officer of Right Management, in a press release about the survey. “Career development opportunities are one of the top motivators. Giving them a chance to develop professionally and advance in their careers will foster higher levels of engagement, productivity, and retention.”

Gossip in the workplace ranked as the number one pet peeve among employees, followed by other person’s poor time management skills and messiness in communal spaces, a recent survey by Randstad USA found.

The survey of about 2,400 individuals, 60% list gossip as their greatest pet peeve, 54% say other people’s time management skills and 45% say they are most annoyed with messiness in places that are meant to be communal.

The other pet peeves listed by employees were:

• Potent scents, 42%
• Loud noises, 41%
• Overuse of electronic personal communications devices in meetings, 28% and
• Misus of email, 22%.

Though gossip was listed at the top of employees’ pet peeves, workers responded that they are more likely to say something directly to the person(s) involved about loud noises (42%) and messiness in communal spaces (38%) than say something directly to those who gossip (34%).
Employees said they are least likely to address gossip with their boss (8%), and 41% said they would do nothing, perhaps solidifying their distaste for idle chatter.

Employees’ annoyance with other’s misuse of email is less likely to be addressed by saying something directly to the person(s) involved (25%) and the more likely to be ignored (41%) by an irritated employee.

Employees are most willing to go to their supervisor to deal with others’ poor time management skills (20%).

Allowing employees to swear at work may actually have a positive impact, acting as a way to reinforce solidarity among staff and enabling them to express their feelings, according to findings from researchers at the University of East Anglia.

The researchers found that a regular use of profanity could help employees express their feelings, such as frustration, and develop social relationships. They identified the relevance and even importance of using non-conventional and sometimes uncivil language at work and how it may have a positive impact, according to a news release from the University.
 
Younger managers and professionals were more tolerant in what they accepted as ethical behavior, suggesting that age may be a moderator for the spreading of swearing language to the workplace, according to the authors of the study, Yehuda Baruch, professor of management at the Norwich Business School (NBS), and graduate Stuart Jenkins.
 
The study also found women swore more than might traditionally be expected, especially among themselves. Most of the cases of swearing were reported by employees at the lower rungs of the organizational latter, whereas executives used profanity less frequently.
 
Study participants said swearing did not take place in front of or within close proximity to customers, but took place after customers had gone or in staff areas.

“Employees use swearing on a continuous basis, but not necessarily in a negative, abusive manner,” said Baruch, in the release. “Swearing is a social phenomenon to reflect solidarity and enhance group cohesiveness, or as a psychological phenomenon to release stress.”

Nearly 80% of business executives prefer to wear either business casual or casual attire to work, according to a recent survey by TheLadders.com.

More than 60% of executives say business casual is now their standard office dress code and about 42.2% said more and more companies are moving towards business casual. About 22% said the definition of “business casual” is now stretching to include even more casual attire, such as jeans.

Employees who dress more casually risk being taken less seriously than their more professionally dressed counterparts, according to nearly half (48.2%) of executives. However, a third of executives say they perceive employees who are dressed more casually to be more fun to be around and nearly 40% say they perceive these employees as more creative.  

Nearly 65% of executives said they did not think that co-workers in more traditional business attire were more productive, but did say they perceived them to be more senior level (71.8%) and that they are taken more seriously (62.3%).

Some employees who wear suits are perceived by executives as being rigid (26.5%) and less creative (16.8%).

Keeping copies of numerous e-mail messages outside of a company’s central e-mail management system could be a liability if the organization is asked to produce electronic information in a lawsuit, according to a recent study.

The study by Recommind and Osterman Research found organizations’ data storage resources are being used to store e-mail messages that are of little or no value and could leave companies vulnerable to unnecessary exposure in later litigation.
 
A large number of survey respondents said they are keeping e-mail that is not relevant to the company, with 58% saying the e-mails they receive and file on a daily basis could best be classified as “nice to have” or “unimportant.”
 
The authors of the study attribute the storage problems to e-mail management that relies too much on manual e-mail management practices, with more than 70% of employees reporting that they kept copies of some or all of their e-mails in external locations such as a .PST file on a localized computer hard drive. Not having this information easily available could mean significant eDiscovery costs, potential sanctions, and increased potential litigation exposure, according to the study.
 
The study did show that 90% of those surveyed acknowledged their employer had the right to control the retention of their work e-mail, and 83% understood their e-mail could be used as evidence in a lawsuit.

Asked to pick a TV working environment most like their own, more than half cited “The Office” in a recent online poll.

In fact, 53% of respondents said the “boring and mismanaged” workplace depicted in “The Office” was most like their own, according to a nonscientific online poll of 4,800 visitors to Monster.com. On the other hand, the fast-paced environment on hospital drama “ER” garnered 23%, while the “You’re Fired” cutthroat competition of Donald Trump’s reality show “The Apprentice” drew 13% of the votes. The personal “theatrics” and romance on medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy” was close behind with 11%.

The ten most common mistakes employees make when leaving their jobs. Not only may some of these mistakes get the employee in legal trouble, but they can also clue in an employer that the departing employee may be engaging in some suspicious behavior that can harm the employer’s interests.

• Taking business records with them.
• Telling clients that they are considering leaving the company or are leaving the company.
• Telling co-workers that they are leaving the company before telling management.
• Sabotaging records.
• Granting an exit interview.
• Failing to segregate between private company information and public information.
• Accessing the office after hours when they do not normally do so.
• Bad mouthing the firm on the way out.
• Failing to work until the last minute.
• Failing to consult an attorney prior to resigning.

While it may seem obvious, employers should specifically instruct new hires not to take any business records or any other company information with them if they ever should leave. If any employer gets wind that an employee is doing any of these things, or if the employee has suddenly or suspiciously resigned (e.g., at 5 p.m. on a Friday), an employer should take some immediate steps to protect itself, including:

• Get the employee to do an exit interview so you can find out about the employee’s new job and confirm that the employee has not taken any business records or copies of business records.
• Make sure that the employee has returned all electronic devices and that he or she does not have any company information such as client contact information on their personal devices.
• Supervise the employee’s access to his or her office and his or her departure from the building.
• Give the employee a copy of any restrictive covenants to remind the employee of his or her obligations.
• Talk to other employees about the departing employee to find out what they know and if the employee has engaged in any suspicious behavior.
• Disable the employee’s access to the premises and your computer system.
• Inspect the employee’s files and computer to see if anything is missing.
• Immediately reassign all of the employee’s accounts and clients, and have the employee’s replacement ask your clients if they have heard from the former employee.

Implement a checklist of actions to take immediately when an employee resigns and assign these tasks to a specific employee.

Source: Business & Legal Reports, Inc.

Imagine logging on to your computer on your day off to catch up on a little work. And there, on your screen, is a friendly little pop-up reminder from your company: “It’s the weekend.”

This actually happened to Lorie Baker, a director at PricewaterouseCoopers, according to the article “You’re Cut Off” by Inara Verzemnieks in the October issue of Working Mother magazine. Hoping to reduce work stress, PWC sends the reminder note to curb weekend work-related emailing, according to the article.

It sounds counterintuitive, but some companies are starting to see that stressed out, burned out employees aren’t very good for the bottom line.

Research shows job stress is linked to depression. And a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows stress at work is linked to a second heart attack. Those who returned to work in a stressful job had two times the risk of a new heart attack, compared to those who returned to a low-stress job, according to the Canadian researchers.

The study authors recommend that heart attack patients, who return to work, ask for help in reducing work stress.

But a few companies, are proactively stepping up to help. Here are some innovative strategies they’re using, according to Verzemnieks’ article in Working Mother magazine:

• To reduce email overload, The University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison has a policy that encourages employees to have a conversation rather than send an email.
• Boston Consulting Group monitors employees’ hours. Those who average more than 55 hours a week over five consecutive weeks are reported to management.
• At the outdoor clothing, equipment and acessories company Patagonia, the day’s surf report is posted above the front reception desk, the “boardroom” stores surfboards and particularly good surf conditions might be announced over the company’s loudspeaker.
• At tax and accounting firm Ernst & Young, employees receive an annual voicemail message from global chairman and CEO James Turley, stressing the importance of a vacation. If you don’t take one, someone from human resources will come and talk to you.

PricewaterhouseCoopers recently distributed an employee handbook entitled “Rest and Relaxation: The Value of Time Off.”

“Among the instructions: Try not to call the office to discuss business matters or check voicemail or email. You are either on vacation or you’re at work you shouldn’t try to be in two places at one time. And perhaps most important: “Enjoy your family, friends or solitude.”

Source: Jule Deardorff, Chicago Tribune.

More than 35% of employees do not consider their boss a leader and 30% of employees do not think their boss is qualified for the position, according to a survey by SkillSoft, which provides e-learning and performance support solutions.

According to a press release about the survey, employees in IT were the most likely to attest to their boss’ leadership skills (65%), while more than half of employees (51%) in sales and marketing-related roles questioned the leadership skills of their supervisor.

“This new report uncovers an all too common challenge plaguing businesses,” said John Ambrose, Senior Vice President of Strategy, Corporate Development & Emerging Business for SkillSoft, in the press release. “Managers are likely to receive little or no guidance in developing strong leadership skills. However, management training is an integral component for enhancing employee productivity, improving job satisfaction, reducing employee turnover and maintaining agility in the workforce.”

According to SkillSoft, most of these leadership skills can be acquired through a corporate training program that incorporates a mix of e-learning components such as knowledge portals, leadership training videos and online content geared towards management and leadership issues.

The study included interviews with more than 200 employees, ranging from entry-level to executive positions across the U.S.

Idaho Governor James E. Risch has signed an executive order establishing a policy for all state agencies concerning illegal immigrants. Under the order, the Division of Human Resources shall develop and implement procedures to verify and ensure that all new employees with any agency of the state are eligible for employment under federal and state law (Executive Order No. 2006-40, at ID 13-2500).

Idaho Governor James E. Risch has signed an executive order establishing a policy for all state agencies concerning illegal immigrants. Under the order, the Division of Human Resources shall develop and implement procedures to verify and ensure that all new employees with any agency of the state are eligible for employment under federal and state law. Executive Order 2006-40, as signed Dec. 13, 2006. 13-24,050.01.

The protected categories of sexual orientation, citizenship status and military status were added to the Department’s equal employment opportunity clause. Title 44, Chapter X, Part 750, Appendix A, as amended effective Nov. 20, 2006. 14-20,126.750.