We Still Need to Talk about Volkswagen

As seen in this article, the continual neglect by Volkswagen executives to consider their emissions cheating scandal a “real problem” in the months leading to the sudden announcement shows a fundamentally toxic corporate culture. It’s one thing to have cheating be a habitual aspect of your business, but it’s quite another to see cheating as so normal that it’s only worth setting 10 minutes aside in a meeting to discuss its possible financial and reputation-based ramifications. While some of the leadership of VW responsible for the scandal have left the company, VW still has a lot to prove in terms of repairing its image – both to customers and to current employees who may have been compelled to cooperate with the emissions cheating for fear of losing their job. Read more about their conduct at The New York Times.

Photo Credit: Justin Lane for European Pressphoto Agency, via NYT

The "Greater Conversation" Needed About Workplace Respect

The debacle regarding Kelly Ripa, Michael Strahan and ABC seems to have taken the media by storm, to the point where Ripa joked about it being a “national nightmare.” The main aspect to take away from Ripa’s comments after returning to “Live” is to make the connection about the “greater conversation” she hopes to begin about “communication and consideration and, most importantly, respect in the workplace.” When Ripa feels disrespected in her workplace of 26 years, she can take a week off because she has a certain element of power associated with her position. For many people dealing with similar or more severe bullying in the workplace, displays of power aren’t an option. Ripa should be commended for commenting about respect in the workplace. However, if the media continues to focus solely on the drama of the story, rather than widening the scope to discuss workplace bullying in general, it’ll be a missed opportunity for raising national awareness. You can read more about Ripa's reaction to ABC at CNN Money.

Workplace Culture vs. Workplace Benefits

This article by Jeffrey Pfeffer gives an accurate appraisal of the way our workplace cultures have been structured. What seem to be outwardly friendly company perks are usually put in place to help subvert expectations associated with more substantive employee benefits that companies don’t want to give to contracted workers. In the age of compassionate capitalism, where businesses need to sell themselves as “saving the world” to attract millennial employees, it’s strange that the same concerned mentality doesn’t apply to employee well-being. You can read more at Fortune Magazine.

Photo: Getty Images via Fortune

Preventing Domestic Violence at Work

The University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center

Domestic violence is an issue many people don’t like to discuss. It’s perceived as a “private” problem that should be dealt with inside of the home; however, there are active ways workplaces can and should take a stand against it. The example that the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center is setting is admirable, in the wake of two employee deaths within five months as the result of domestic violence. Like the St. Joseph Medical Center, more workplaces should institute awareness and prevention training programs to help employees support each other. However, around the world, more businesses need to institute policies to help support workers dealing with the fallout of domestic violence by providing paid leave, guarantees against discrimination, and measures to prevent harassment in the workplace itself. The more we can acknowledge and discuss domestic violence, the more we can thwart it – and ensuring that workplaces are psychologically safe for victims could be a key way of helping them. You can get more info on what the St. Joseph Medical Center is up to, and on domestic violence in general, at The Huffington Post. 

Photo Credit: University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center, via The Huffington Post

Why Hasn't USA's VA Been Fixed Yet?

I agree with the sentiment of this article, that the laws surrounding the management of the US Department of Veterans Affairs should be reconsidered to make effective regulation a reality. However, I’m still wondering why employees who have clearly attempted to take advantage of the system aren’t fired outright. Why are the judges deciding these cases siding with clearly corrupt employees, who are out to help themselves more than veterans? It’s shameful, and I’m frankly surprised more Americans aren’t up in arms about what’s going on at the VA. Continue reading at The Wall Street Journal. 

Image: Bloomberg News via WSJ

A $455 Fine for 18+ Months of Sexual Harassment

This particular story of sexual harassment in the workplace, between UC Berkeley diving coach Todd Mulzet and another male employee, is interesting for several reasons. Firstly, it occurred between two men, which is notable because many cases similar to this one are not highlighted in the media. Secondly, the idea that paying $455 is supposed to rectify the issue is completely asinine. While the coach in question is required to take a sexual harassment course, the incidents described in this article indicate that the harassment was ongoing and severely distressing. If the harassment took place over an 18 month period, why is the coach only being docked 5% pay for two months? This punishment indicates a fundamental disregard for the employee who reported Mulzet. Whoever’s decision it was to simply dock pay and send Mulzet to a sexual harassment course should be fired – along with Mulzet. Read more about this story at USA Today. 

Millennial Employees and the Financial Industry

BRINSON + BANKS FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

This article clearly displays the disconnect between upper managers in the financial industry and their employees. Millennial employees are leaving in droves, feeling underutilized and unengaged, and large banks are struggling to keep them happy in the face of mass layoffs of older employees to cut costs. When managers show a fundamental lack of understanding about how their workers think and feel, there’s no question that something will have to give. More data about how employees feel, like the study I’m working on with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, The Emotion Revolution in the Workplace, will help employers better understand their employees’ perspectives, and hopefully motivate businesses to solve their employment problems. You can read more about this at The Wall Street Journal.

Picture Info: Steve Wu, a millennial who left his banking job for greener pastures. 

The Tech Company Meat Grinder

Art by Henning Wagenbreth for NYT

Too many tech companies are comfortable with a culture that chews employees up and spits them out. The idea that tech workplaces are the modern “sweatshops” is a little dramatic, considering many people around the world work in sweatshops every day, but the conditions at tech companies like Amazon and Hub Spot are still abhorrent for workers. It’s not unfair to expect job security, a healthy work-life balance, and a workplace culture that doesn’t make you cry at your desk. Read a first-hand account by author Dan Lyons at The New York Times.

Whistleblower Retaliation at the TSA

Heather Callahan Chuck, one of the exonerated TSA officers, photographed by Kent Nishimura for NYT.

It seems to be a norm that whistleblowers are targeted by those they seek to expose. However, these specific cases are particularly unsettling. In an age where airport security is of the utmost importance, learning that the TSA punishes whistleblowers for uncovering security flaws or fund mismanagement is very discouraging. Many of the whistleblowers featured in this article are decorated military veterans, and they often have to spend thousands of dollars trying to win their Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaints against their supervisors. Management wants to punish employees with impunity, when they should be embracing criticism for the safety of us all. Read the full story at The New York Times.

Thoughts After "A Time Of Bullies"

This is a beautiful piece of writing by Roger Cohen. Even though Cohen writes largely about being Jewish in the 21st century in the wake of the Holocaust, the underlying message is something we should all be able to appreciate. As he writes, “When societies leave many people feeling excluded, they grow volatile. Belonging is a fundamental human need.” This is a key point to remember about humanity and how we can relate to the concept of bullying. Everyone deserves the feeling of belonging, and throwing support behind dangerous ideas and disrespectful behaviors can undermine that feeling at its most vital level. It is a social responsibility for everyone to stand up against different kinds of bullies within their own lives, both on the macro-global level and in our day to day activities. Read the full piece at The New York Times.