Featured Article Fudge! Sugar! Watch Your #*?/@%! Language Sticks and stones may break your bones, but swear words can get you canned. A survey of more than 2,000 executives found that 36 percent of U.S. bosses have issued a formal warning and 6 percent have fired a worker for swearing on the job. Read this article

Employee Relations Features Few Companies Teach Employees Effective E-Mail Tips Ah, e-mail. It clogs our inboxes when we’re on vacation, often contains spam and jokes we shouldn’t read, and might contain viruses that can do our networks harm. Pssst! Check Out These Gossip Studies Idle gossip in the workplace is not so idle, it seems, and women who engage in it are viewed as more powerful and as possessing more masculine traits, according to recent academic research. Many Senior Executives Disengaged Four years after an initial report on employee engagement, North American organizations still struggle to create a workforce of engaged employees. Web Use, Economy Help Fuel Rise in EEOC Bias Complaints When the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released statistics in early March 2008 showing that filings for discrimination claims rose 9 percent during fiscal year 2007, EEOC officials and workplace analysts were a bit stunned. Conflict Management Skills Key When Faith Comes to Work “Religion is one of those hot potatoes,” says The Rev. Pamela Moore, associate director of the Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights organization founded to fight anti-Semitism. This is particularly true when religion enters the workplace. The Power of Positive Thinking in the Workplace "Happiness gets trashed. It’s considered too pink and fluffy for the workplace," says Alex Linley, founder of the Centre for Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP) in Coventry, England. Linley, a psychologist and management consultant, founded the nonprofit CAPP to help companies find the happy, positive sides of employees in order to attract, retain and develop them. Communicate and Lead the Way, Conference Speakers Advise Communication is the key, according to speakers at the 2008 Society for Human Resource Management Tri-State Conference, held April 17-18, 2008. Whether a business is setting up overseas operations or a manager is trying to modify a problem employee’s behavior, strong communication skills are necessary. Duty Beckons Sick Employees to Work A sense of obligation to co-workers is the top reason why some employees drag themselves into work even when they’re sick, according to a recent survey. Use Gen X, Y Attitudes to Your Advantage, HR Advised Employers can engage young people entering the workforce, but they need to use different tactics than they use with older workers.

Employee Relations News Employers Can’t Ignore Workplace Bullies UK Study: One-Third Admit to Hangover at Work High Gas Prices Lower Worker Productivity Managers Learn To Bond with Remote Workers U.K. Workers Say Tuesdays are Most Productive House Approves Genetic Non-Discrimination Act

Legal Update EEOC Attorney: Ignorance Is No Defense for Bias The EEOC believes that an employer can be liable even if an HR professional who fires an employee has no idea that bias was behind the termination recommendation. Businesses Challenge Florida Workplace Gun Law Florida Gov. Charlie Crist signed the 'take your guns to work' bill April 15. However, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Retail Federation have filed a legal challenge to it. Compliance at Top Still Key Concern for Business Ethics When The Conference Board launched its first business ethics conference 20 years ago, it searched for “someone—anyone—who had a title with the word ethics in it,” an expert on business ethics and corporate governance recalled recently. EEOC Attorney: Effective Workplace Investigations Can Save Employers Money Many employers still do not understand the importance of conducting a reasonable investigation into workplace harassment, William Tamayo, an attorney with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in San Francisco told attendees April 2 at the midwinter meeting of the American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee. EEOC Plans To Tweak Age Bias Test The EEOC proposes adjusting the regulatory definition of 'reasonable factors other than age' to align the age bias test with a Supreme Court observation. More workplace law news State-specific news

Express Requests Conducting an Attitude Survey "Every human resource professional knows that a company is only as good as its employees. That's why it's so important to get their feedback and respond to their needs, their ideas and their suggestions, and fast. Surveys are the most effective way to tap into the thoughts of the workplace. Soliciting feedback should be a regular part of the HR function," according to "Soliciting Employee Feedback: Getting Results", SHRM White Paper (2001). To get additional resources on this topic, visit SHRM's Express Request service and select key term "ATTITUDE SURVEYS". Gaining Employee Trust Do your employees trust your senior managers? It’s an important question because research indicates that employee trust in corporate managers—especially senior managers—strongly influences turnover, productivity and profitability. That kind of research is drawing the interest of business executives, who want to know where they rate on employees’ trust scale. To get additional resources on this topic, visit SHRM's Express Request service and select key term "GAINING EMPLOYEE TRUST". Managing Depression Depressed employees are far more vulnerable to job loss, missed workdays and impaired productivity while at work, according to a 2006 study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Employers can approach those who experience problems at work and ask what accommodations might enable them to do their jobs. Providing confidential and non-threatening ways for employees to learn about anxiety, stress and depression and about where to seek help is ideal. To get additional resources on this topic, visit SHRM's Express Request service and select key term "DEPRESSION IN THE WORKPLACE."