In July 2017, a White House commission released a report on America’s opioid crisis with a recommendation that President Trump declare it a national emergency. According to the report, approximately 142 Americans are dying every day from opioid use. America is enduring a death toll equal to September 11th every three weeks.
With workplaces moving more to the open floor plan, a difficult issue is raising its head more and more. Whether its food odors like tuna, perfume, cologne, or body odor, the issue of scent allergies has grown among the workforce. In one case, retaliation and failure to properly accommodate cost an employer $3.3 million.
How long did you sleep last night? If you’re like 83% of U.S. workers, not enough. While the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that adults get 7-8 hours of sleep each night, only 17% say they actually get that full amount according to a recent Career Builder survey. 60% feel that the lack of sleep negatively affects their work.
The republicans, who control the Michigan State Senate, introduced legislation last Wednesday to increase MIOSHA fines to maintain parity with the federal OSHA fine maximums. Why would our business friendly legislature do this? It appears not by choice, but by necessity, if MIOSHA is to remain compliant and independent from federal OSHA oversite.
On Monday, June 5, John Neumann, Jr., a former employee of Fiamma Inc. located in Orlando Florida, went on a fatal workplace shooting spree killing six employees before he killed himself. He was fired in April by his former employer. According to Orlando County Sheriff Jerry Demings, Neumann targeted his victims and had a “negative relationship” with at least one of them. While we all want to think something like this will never happen to us, it can, and...
As the weather is warming up and outdoor activities are on employee’s minds, so are their summer bodies. CareerBuilder recently conducted a survey that found that 56% of the workforce in the United States believe that they are overweight. On top of that, 45% believe that they have gained weight at their current job. And we aren’t talking about just a couple pounds here, 25% have gained more than 10 pounds and 1 in 10 have gained more than 20 pounds. Respondents blame...
Kurt Rambis, former NBA champion and coach, is quoted as saying, “I’m in favor of drug tests, just so long as they are multiple choice.” There are many different types of drug tests available for screening applicants and employees for drug use, but can they be multiple choice? In a way they can. How? Well I’m so glad you asked.
According to Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, who is as well known for his drug use as he is for his song writing and guitar skills, “if you’re going to kick authority in the teeth, you may as well use two feet.” If you don’t want to be kicked in the teeth because of drug use by your employees or applicants, then you should consider your company’s drug testing program and policy prohibiting drug use, or the lack thereof, and how you can best protect your...
On March 21, 2017, the state of Ohio was the most recent state to approve a gun law that allows individuals with a valid concealed handgun license (CCW) to possess firearms in their vehicles on their employer’s property. This type of gun law is commonly referred to as a “parking lot" gun law, and Ohio has joined a growing list that now totals over 20 states that have enacted such a law. The intent of these guns-at-work laws is to protect an individual’s right to...
When strange behavior or certain performance issues are very subtle, should an employer inquire about a medical condition? On one hand, an employer may feel constrained in asking about whether an employee is experiencing a medical problem when an employee exhibits a change in behavior or is not acting the same as usual. Is observable fatigue, irritability, or poor performance just a bad day or is it a medical condition that will raise disability issues. On the other hand, failing performance...
Open carry is the right of a licensed gun owner to carry a gun in plain sight. Recently some gun advocates have sought to stretch that legal right. Take the two men that walked into a Dearborn police station last month with body armor on and rifles in hand to allegedly demonstrate their right to do so. And ASE recently took a call from a business that serves the public and had a man come into their store with a gun holstered to their waist. Another customer complained that they were...
I was recently surprised to find out that an estimated 1 in 5 employees suffers from some form of mental illness. This led me to dig a little deeper into this topic and find out what is causing this and what corporate leadership can do to prevent it and handle it when it happens.
Some of the most frustrating and expensive lawsuits are where employees run up medical related absences without seeming end. When the employer terminates them, they sue. Last week EPTW reported on the Sixth Circuit upholding an employer’s discharge of an employee that failed to properly give notice under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The Court deferred to the employer’s proper execution of its attendance notification policy and upheld the discharge. This week the Sixth...
On December 1, 2016 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) implemented a new rule in part limiting mandatory post-accident/injury drug testing. The broader final rule targeted alleged retaliatory actions by employers (mandatory post-accident drug testing being one of them) for exercising rights protected by OSHA and its regulations. One reported reason OSHA promulgated a rule was to curb the pro-safety practice of drug and alcohol testing in the event of any accident or...
As a way to lessen the effects of stress and its negative health impact on workers, employers may want to consider including workplace yoga and meditation in their array of workplace wellness activities. In a new study of more than 85,000 adults, yoga practice among U.S. workers nearly doubled from 2002 to 2012, increasing from 6% to 11%. In that same time period, meditation rates also increased from 8% to 9.9%.