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Houston Manufacturing Related Press Releases |
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Written by Vickie Adair
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 William James said, "Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task." In business, both the procrastinator and the task owner suffer from fatigue. We’ve all had them, intelligent, talented, and educated employees, who have been assigned certain tasks on which they never take initiative, or never finish – but are always one step away from the great breakthrough that will make all this procrastination worthwhile.
A task which has been on an employee’s to-do list for days, weeks, months, possibly even years is mentally fatiguing -- the mere thought of it may sap the employee’s energy. He puts the task off for another day, and further avoidance of the task can cause more stress than the task itself, both to the employee and the employer. |
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Written by Marc J. Krasney, P.C.
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Q. I started a small S Corp company last year with two employees, but with rapid growth, added my 27th employee this month. My accountant mentioned that I might should consult a lawyer about EEOC regulation. Does my company need to comply since it is still relatively small?
One of the most important aspects of your business is your employees, as they are the life blood of most companies and responsible for the day to day operations. Without them, most companies would fail. With the obligations an employee owes an employer come obligations owed the employee under various federal statutes and enforced via the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission—EEOC.
The Federal laws prohibiting job discrimination and thus subject to the purview of the EEOC are:
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin;
the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), which protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from sex-based wage discrimination;
the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older;
Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which prohibit employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in the private sector, and in state and local governments;
Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities who work in the federal government; and
the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which, among other things, provides monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination.
Generally, the employer will be dealing with discrimination against a certain class and only certain classes of people are considered “protected classes”.
Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), it is illegal to discriminate in any aspect of employment, including:
hiring and firing; compensation, assignment, or classification of employees; transfer, promotion, layoff, or recall; job advertisements; recruitment; testing; use of company facilities; training and apprenticeship programs; fringe benefits; pay, retirement plans, and disability leave; or other terms and conditions of employment.
Be advised, not all the statutes cover all employers and every employer should learn who is covered. Obviously, it is more difficult for a small business with less than 10 employees to provide certain benefits than a conglomerate corporation with thousands of employees.
So, who is covered?
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) cover all private employers, state and local governments, and education institutions that employ 15 or more individuals.
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) covers all private employers with 20 or more employees, state and local governments (including school districts), employment agencies and labor organizations.
The Equal Pay Act (EPA) covers all employers who are covered by the Federal Wage and Hour Law (the Fair Labor Standards Act). Virtually all employers are subject to the provisions of this Act.
Any individual who believes that his or her employment rights have been violated may file a charge of discrimination with EEOC. In addition, an individual, organization, or agency may file a charge on behalf of another person in order to protect the aggrieved person's identity. The law also requires a specific procedure to file the discrimination charge and failure to follow the procedures could jeopardize the employee’s case.
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Written by Dennis Tardan
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Have you ever been in an argument you just couldn’t win? No matter how many ideas or facts you produced or how eloquently you presented your case, the other side just kept saying “No way” or “It’ll never work.” Disconcerting and discouraging, isn’t it? Well, that’s the argument that I have in my head whenever I am brainstorming with myself about new idea or before beginning any innovative business endeavor.
For the record, I have personalities inside my head that act like a committee. One of the personalities is the voice for the creative. It knows no limits, loves to experience paradigm shifts, book flights of fancy, take leaps of faith, and is deeply intuitive. It sees the future full of ripe possibilities and barely recognizes obstacles.
Another personality is the voice of the pragmatist, the critical mind. It has its feet firmly planted in what it perceives to be the ‘real world’. It wants to know, right now, how a particular thought or concept is going to put figurative or actual bread on the table. It is extremely linear and methodical. It demands to know how we are going to proceed from one step to the next leading to a predictable result. It doesn’t like surprises and wants to avoid failure or disappointment at all costs.
When my creative voice has what it thinks of as a brilliant idea, my critical voice will immediately posit a million questions and obstacles. It does no good to argue or throw facts at the critical voice. For every argument the creative voice offers, the pragmatic voice counters with a scenario to demonstrate why the idea won’t work. It is very good at this and I become paralyzed.
Since both voices are vitally important parts of the process, I must give them the attention they demand. The key is to recognize when to allow each voice to have center stage.
When I am at my best, here’s what I do. I get an idea or an insight for something new and innovative, whether it be for a column, a book, or an improvement in my communications coaching and then I set aside brainstorming time. Here I put all the possibilities out on the table for the idea as it will be in its fully-formed manifestation, avoiding the “How is this going to work?” questions. When my critical voice asserts one of its arguments, I say inside my head, and as gently as possible, “Thank you for sharing, and you’ll have your full say soon.” The creative mind needs encouragement and the opportunity to express all of its ideas. Brainstorming is a delicate process and if I apply critical thinking in the inception phase, my creativity is stopped cold.
Once I have an array of approaches or possibilities to explore, I can let the critical voice into the discussion because its greatest skill is getting me from point A to objective B. It can make a plan, set priorities and complete tasks. It is plodding but has the tenacity and focus to move mountains, one shovel at a time. When the creative voice asks to go in an entirely new direction, to scuttle the old plan for a new inspiration or flight of fancy, I thank it for sharing and acknowledge that it will be heard from soon.
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