Modern company policy manuals often include guidelines for cell phone use, volume levels for radios or CD/players, personal computer, network, and Internet restrictions, and nobody seems to bat an eye. But when the subject of restricting, or in any way limiting, an individual from being connected to their iPod or other MP3 format digital music device is brought up, people cry foul. Why? Have we really become such an individualized and self-entitled culture that we expect the right to listen to ‘our music on our terms’ over being expected to appear engaged with the sounds and activities of the employer that is paying our wage?

Proximity is a fundamental component in the law of attraction. With most workplace environments comprised of both male and female adults who spend 8 to 10 hours or more per day within the same four walls, and in the proximity of the same people working shoulder to shoulder, attractions and romances are sure to develop. Marital statistics show that the average age of marriage is increasing which means more young workers are likely to be single. In 2005 SHRM and the Wall Street Journal’s CareerJournal.com conducted a study and found that 40% of employees surveyed said they had an office romance at some point in their careers. In a 2007 Vault.com survey 41% of employees said they didn’t know if their company did or didn’t have a policy on the issue.

While there was certainly a lot of ugliness in the Don Imus incident was there anything good that came out of it? One good thing is that it pushed the Anna Nichole Smith story off the never ending 24-hour news circus. Another outcome, and something certainly more worthwhile, is that it has spurred thought and dialogue regarding racism, sexism, civility, and a long list of significant issues. But since we’re talking about HR here, does the Imus mess have any lessons for us? While one hopes that such conversation doesn’t occur in the workplace, we all know that similar things are said, at least in some environments every day. The issue becomes what do you do about it?

How honest are your applicants? Not nearly as honest as you’d like if surveys are any indication.

HR Fact Friday will be a regular weekly posting to HR News & Views. I will cast out a net to uncover and share interesting, informative, unusual, and sometimes humorous HR industry facts. Where other sources are referenced, I will give full credit and provide links where available. This week I am summarizing findings released in February, 2007 from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Job Bias Charges. The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.

Recent work for a client reminded me of a useful reminder a Federal court recently gave employers about the hazards of notifying employees about policies via email. The case involved an employer’s distribution of a new dispute resolution procedure that included arbitration.

HRN is pleased to announce the newest upgrade of Performance Pro employee performance management solution is now available. The upgrade includes new features such as electronic signature, expanded rating scale, routing e-mail notification, and additional performance management reports.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has set its 2007 enforcement priorities. Employers should pay particular attention to two of these priorities. First, the EEOC says it will place a greater focus on race discrimination claims. Second, the EEOC has decided to focus on alleged systemic discrimination and major class action litigation.

Do you know what a simple search query of your name in that cute and colorful Google search box will reveal about you to a potential boss, college recruiter, or in-law? Blogs and social networking websites such as MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Friendster have become wildly popular as online connection points for individuals with like interests. These social portals, along with common Internet search engines, are now being used more and more by company recruiters and HR managers to screen prospective job candidates. Surprisingly, what they are finding is that an individual’s online persona is apt to reveal more about the applicant than their resume.

Welcome to the premiere posting of the HRN Management Group HR News & Views blog. So why blog? First and foremost HRN is an HR company. We stay informed about what is going on in the industry. From FMLA and ADA to ‘what the heck were they thinking?’. Our goal is to simplify HR management by providing clear and concise information to HR professionals that is easy to understand, and respects your time. We research, evaluate and produce more HR related industry information than we can possibly contain in our biweekly HR Update newsletter, HR Notes newsletter, or monthly white paper—and a blog is the most ideal way to share this information with the widest possible audience.

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