September/October 2004 Issue Number 63

Is a monthly electronic newsletter which links current events and issues to the daily challenges faced by fire and emergency services managers. Current topics in the areas of leadership development, workplace diversity, change management, and conflict resolution will be discussed.

We hope that you find the information here useful and provocative.
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Consider This...

Women Chief Officers Conference November 11-14, 2004, Wyndham Hotel, San Diego. For more information, go to www.womenfireofficers.org

11th International Conference of Fire Service Women March 29-April 3, 2005. Montgomery County, Maryland. Go to www.wfsi.org for more information.  

Bullying at Work  

Everyone remembers bullies as children, those who intimidated and humiliated others at school or in the neighborhood. But does bullying end once children become adults? To what degree are bullies still a problem in the workplace?  

A recent study by NIOSH (the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) found that workplace bullying is a significant problem. According to the study, which surveyed 516 organizations of various sizes, nearly 25% of the companies reported that some degree of bullying had occurred in the previous year. In the most recent incident that had occurred, 39% involved a peer employee as the aggressor, 24.5% involved a customer, and about 15% involved a supervisor.  

It should not be surprising that bullying is more often done by peers rather than supervisors. Supervisors are at least in theory better trained and prepared to handle interpersonal relations than their subordinates, and would find bullying unacceptable. A mean spirited supervisor has other means of making someone's life miserable other than direct intimidation. As on the playground, bullying is a way for those without formal power to control others. Supervisors, with the means to exert formal control, do not need to resort to bullying. The fact that 15% of them do is disheartening.  

The most interesting aspect of the survey was how many workers are bullied by customers. In fact, the airline industry has reported a sharp increase in incidents of intimidation by customers toward flight attendants and gate agents in recent years. Firefighters probably experience less of this, but are not immune. Just ask the fire inspectors on your department how they are treated by the public.  

NIOSH reported that workplace bullying is a significant factor in work-related stress. Preliminary recommendations include taking steps to improve relations among co-workers, and not strictly focusing on supervisor-subordinate or customer-employee relationships. Actions might include training in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution skills, establishing support systems or other means for those who are bullied to get relief, and adopting a zero tolerance policy for such acts of workplace intimidation.  

Source: http://hr.blr.com July 29, 2004  

 

The State of New Jersey has a new law that allows couples to register as domestic partners. The law will allow registered partners to make medical decisions for one another and to file joint state tax returns. The law will benefit same sex couples as well as unmarried heterosexual couples over the age of 62. Other states currently recognizing same sex partnerships are California, Hawaii, Vermont, and Massachusetts.

Source: Associated Press, July 9, 2004  

Prescription Drugs vs. Drug Testing  

A 17 year United Parcel Service employee has filed a discrimination lawsuit against her employer after she was fired for taking legal prescription drugs at work. Darlene Veltri had been prescribed the anti-anxiety medication Xanax by her physician. When the drug was detected in her system during a routine drug test, she was fired. The UPS Employee Assistance Program told Ms. Veltri that she must disclose her prescription medications and stop taking Xanax as a condition of returning to work. Suspending her use of the medication went against the advice of her doctor. The lawsuit states that UPS created a hostile work environment and discriminated against Ms. Veltri based on a disability.

Many fire departments do drug testing, either scheduled or random. Many employees take medications for legitimate disorders. When drugs are detected, what action should be taken? Is it reasonable to ask for full disclosure of current medical treatment from every employee, or is this a violation of privacy? Can an employer insist that an employee stop using a prescription medication, even if that drug has been prescribed and recommended by the employee's doctor? And if the medications in question relate to a diagnosed disability, does interfering with the course of treatment violate the Americans with Disabilities Act?  

These are all relatively new issues, as more departments adopt drug testing, and more individuals seek pharmacological solutions to medical problems. It is far better to think about these issues proactively and find reasonable solutions rather than ending up in court. UPS, a company that recently rated in the top 50 of companies nationally recognized for its diversity
policies, now faces a large class action lawsuit that could involve thousands of its workers. Don't let this happen to you.

Source: Associated Press, August 14, 2004

© Linda F. Willing, 2004