Career News From the VA Employment Department

Diversity and Career News From the VA Employment Department 

1. Diversity At Medical Schools Makes Stronger Doctors, Study Shows
2. Sexual Harassment 10 Times More Likely In Casual and Contract Jobs
3. Generations Agree, Disagree on What Keeps Them Engaged
4. Managers Start to Embrace Home Working
5. GAO Report on Women’s Earnings: Federal Agencies Should Better Monitor Their Performance in Enforcing Anti-Discrimination Laws
6. Don’t Assume Caregivers Can’t
7. Will America Tolerate Anti-Muslim Discrimination?
8. Supervisor Who Wrote Racist Email Faces Demotion
9. Senate Measure Would Expand Disabilities Act
10. CNN Reporter Shares Path to Media Career

Diversity At Medical Schools Makes Stronger Doctors, Study Shows

<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080909205615.htm> .
Medical students who attend racially and ethnically diverse medical schools say they are better equipped to care for patients in a diverse society, reports a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Sexual Harassment 10 Times More Likely In Casual and Contract Jobs <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910104144.htm> .  Women employed in casual and contract jobs are up to ten times more likely to experience unwanted sexual advances than those in permanent full time positions, a University of Melbourne study has found.

Generations Agree, Disagree on What Keeps Them Engaged
<http://www.thelearningcafe.net/downloads/TheLearningCafeSHRMArticle2008
.pdf> .  Most people want the same things from their jobs no matter what their age.  But the things that cause disengagement—and the actions employees will take when they lose interest in their jobs—can differ by generation.

Managers Start to Embrace Home Working
<http://www.management-issues.com/2008/9/10/research/managers-start-to-e
mbrace-home-working.asp> .  Most managers, if asked, would probably say they still prefer to be able to see the team they are managing.  But, in an increasingly wired and global environment, the days of insisting workers are physically present in the office do look numbered, according to new research.

GAO Report on Women’s Earnings: Federal Agencies Should Better Monitor Their Performance in Enforcing Anti-Discrimination Laws <http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08799.pdf?source=ra> .  GAO examined how EEOC enforces laws addressing gender pay disparities among private sector employers and how Labor enforces laws addressing gender pay disparities among Federal contractors.

Don’t Assume Caregivers Can’t
<http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/sixel/5994876.html> .
Bosses are prohibited from assumptions that just because an employee is caring for a someone—a child, parent or spouse—he or she can’t take on demanding job assignments or positions that require travel.

Will America Tolerate Anti-Muslim Discrimination?
<http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-bayoumi0911.artsep11,
0,5275389.story>   It’s been seven years since the terrorist attacks of
September 11, and many young American Muslims are convinced that much of American society views them with growing hostility.

Supervisor Who Wrote Racist Email Faces Demotion <http://www.sfltimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1905&
Itemid=144> .  The city of Wilton Manors’ human resources director has recommended that a city supervisor be suspended and demoted after she distributed a racist email from city hall titled, “Proud To Be White, Somebody Finally Said It” and failed to properly handle a racial discrimination complaint.

Senate Measure Would Expand Disabilities Act <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/washington/12rights.html?ref=us> .
The Senate approved a major civil rights bill that would expand protections against workplace discrimination for people with disabilities and that would address several Supreme Court rulings that curbed such safeguards in the past decade.

CNN Reporter Shares Path to Media Career <http://www.alligator.org/articles/2008/09/12/news/campus/080911_accent.
txt> .  The CNN investigative reporter spoke to an audience of almost
600 about her experiences as a journalist, the value of diversity and what it’s like to be a multicultural woman in the media.

Women on the Job Honors Lillian McCormick <http://www.antonnews.com/portwashingtonnews/2008/09/12/news/> .
"Although McCormick has retired as executive director of Women on the Job, she leaves a legacy that will encourage those whose lives she has affected to follow her pursuit towards a just workplace for all women,"
said Fran Medaglia, McCormick’s assistant.

The Results-Only Work Environment: Workplace of the Future?
<http://www.wwj.com/pages/2933942.php>   Developed by Jody Thompson and
Cali Ressler, two former HR executives at Best Buy, the Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) goes several steps beyond standard flexible work arrangements.  Instead of face-time at the office and punching the clock, employees set their own schedules, come and go as they please, and work in the office or from home.

Why Professional Women Opt Out
<http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/family/blogpost/3520733/> .  A recent Business Week article reports that MBA moms are significantly more likely than doctors or lawyers to stay at home full-time.

Survey Reveals Alarming Lack of Generational Workplace Interaction <http://www.workforce.com/section/06/feature/25/68/23/> .  There won’t be a skilled-worker shortage as baby boomers retire, a recent study says, but there will be a lack of talent if there isn’t more collaboration between workforce generations than currently exists.

Diagnosis of Troubled Employee Requires Caution <http://www.wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=43816&catid=159> .
Psychologist David Clayman says employers should be cautious in the way they respond to employees who show personality problems.

Taller People Have the Edge When It Comes to Happiness <http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080911/lf_nm_life/height_happiness_dc;_ylt
=AoWjCiC8vjieZnsLKG8iaXV34T0D> .  Taller people are happier on average than shorter people, with each extra inch in height giving as much satisfaction as a four percent increase in income, according to a U.S.
study.

Hoyer Seeks More Information on Flexible Work Schedules <http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40946&dcn=e_wfw> .  The House majority leader sent a letter to the Office of Personnel Management asking for more thorough information about the feasibility of establishing a four-day workweek for Federal employees.

Discrimination Can Have Many Aspects
<http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/09-15-f0261-BC-Watercooler-09
-09-0782> .  Hiring managers should be careful to note that there are
many areas of behavior and identity, while not exactly covered by name in legislation, that may result in lawsuits.

Transgendered People Deserve Equal Rights
<http://media.www.mainecampus.com/media/storage/paper322/news/2008/09/15
/SoapBox/Transgendered.People.Deserve.Equal.Rights-3429833.shtml> .
Title VII of the Federal Civil Rights Act prohibits employment discrimination based on sex.  The question is, does that sex include more than just man and woman.  Is transgendered a sex?

Ruling Inspires New Hope For Transgender People <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/14/AR20080
91402195.html?hpid=sec-metro> .  With the decision by Maryland’s highest court to block a referendum petition, Montgomery County’s law banning discrimination against transgender people takes effect immediately.

Attention CEOs: You are a Critical Driver in the Quest for a Diverse and Inclusive Workforce <http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/attention-ceos-you-critical-drive
r/story.aspx?guid=%7B4F196CDB-2CB7-49B2-A0CE-0B16529350EB%7D&dist=hppr>
.  CEO involvement is absolutely critical—but not entirely sufficient—to make enduring change in how companies manage an increasingly diverse workforce, according to a recent survey conducted by ORC Worldwide, a global human resource management and consulting company.

Questions You Shouldn’t Be Asked In a Job Interview <http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/business/x55303947/Questions-you-shou
ldn-t-be-asked-in-a-job-interview> .  Asking the wrong question during a
job interview can lead to lawsuits and big damages.

An Age-Old Problem for Job Seekers
<http://www.kansascity.com/196/story/794766.html> .  A job hunter, who had always heard age discrimination is illegal, was stopped cold when an application form required his date of birth.

Our View—Workplaces Change with Workers
<http://www.mankatofreepress.com/editorials/local_story_258230234.html?k
eyword=topstory> .  The settlement of a Minnesota case pitting Somali employees against their employer appears to be landmark action that will force employers nationwide to think hard about what rules they put in place and decide when it’s OK to bend them.

Clashing Coworkers
<http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/09/14/JOBSdobson.
DTL> .  Interpersonal conflicts on the job are inevitable, but
addressing them early will keep them from poisoning the workplace.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Gains Ground at Agencies <http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3714532> .  Federal agencies are increasingly turning to ADR, which is a faster, more informal way of solving workplace disputes before they become full-fledged formal complaints.

Workplace Equality Summit Celebrates Progress <http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/09/14/0914equa
lity.html> .  Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, a nonprofit group aimed at providing support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the workplace, concluded its annual four-day summit at the Austin Convention Center.