FALL 2013

H u m a nResourcesNewsletter

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BOP

BENT ON PE

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Bent Ericksen & Associates

Communication: The Problem to the Answer

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Q: I live in Oregon. My colleague tells me that I will soon have to provide bereavement leave to my employees. This is not something I’ve provided in the past. When will this be in effect? How much leave do I have to provide?

Q + A

ANSWER: The new law, to which your colleague refers, expands the current Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) which applies to employers with 25 or more employees working in Oregon during each working day of 20 or more calendar workweeks in the year in which leave will be taken, or in the preceding year. Certain eligibility requirements apply. Eligible employees may take up to two weeks of unpaid leave per death of a family member up to a maximum of 12 weeks in a 12-month period to make arrangements necessitated by the death, to attend the funeral or memorial service, or to grieve. Family members are defined as the employee’s spouse, same-sex domestic partner, child, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, or grandchild, or the same relations of an employee's same-sex domestic partner or spouse. This expansion is effective January 1, 2014.

Contributed by Adrienne Wright

RecentlyIwasonaflighttoabusinessmeetinginanotherstate.Bythetimemyseatmateboarded,Ihadmycarryonstowed,mybookout,andwasengrossedinmylatest“who-dunit”novel. Icouldn’thelpbutnoticeduringthe2-1/2hourflighthowfidgetymyseatmatewas,andthateachtimetheflightattendantcamepastourrow,hewouldstophertoaskhowmuchlongeruntilwereachedourdestination.Mysubconsciousreactionwasoneof,“Areyoukiddingme?He’swear-ingawatch….doesn’theknowwhattimeweareduetoland?”

Itwasn’tuntilourplanehadbeenclearedtoland,andwehadreceivedtheinfamous“traytablesup,seatbacksintheiruprightposition”thatIevenmadeeyecontactwithhim.Hebegantorelaythatthiswasthefirsttimehehadeverflown.He,hiswifeandtwoyoungchildrenwereonafamilyvacation.Hisfamilywasseatedtogetherinadifferentrow,buttherehadnotbeenanavail-ableseatnearthemforhim.Heexplainedthathewastryingtobeverycalm,especiallyinfrontofhischildren,buthewaster-

rified.Hewentontosaythathehadwatchedmeduringtheflighttogaugeiftheflightwasgoingsmoothly,oriftherewasacauseforconcern.HeexplainedthatsinceIdidn’tseemtobeworriedaboutthesmallamountofturbu-lenceweexperienced,thenevery-thingmustbe“okay.”

Forthenext20minutesorso,wehadagreatconversationabouthisbusiness,hiskids,whattheyplannedtodoandseewhileontheirvacation.Oncewelanded(safeandsound),hethankedmeoverandoverforlisteningtohimandhelpingtotakehismindoffhisfear.WhatIattemptedtoavoidduringthebiggestportionofthisflight(communicationwithmyseatmate),turnedouttobeaveryenjoyableexperience.Isharedthisexperiencewithafriendlater,andasIrecountedtheexperience,Icouldn’thelpbutwonderhowmany opportunities to communi-cate(andlearn)dowemissaswegothroughourday-to-dayroutine? GeorgeBernardShawoncesaid,“Thesinglebiggestproblemwithcommunicationistheillusionthatithastakenplace.”Betweenthetelephone,ourcellphone,

faxmachines,texting,Facebook,Twitterandallthevariousoutletsofsocialmedia,e-mail,andlestweforget—snailmail,itseemswearealways“pluggedin.”Inaddi-tion,thereisbodylanguageandthevariousformsofnon-verbalcommunication:Crossingthearms,closingoffthestance,lean-ingin,noddingourheads,rollingoftheeyes,smilingandfrown-ing.Isn’titinteresting,thateventhoughwehavemoremethodstoconnectthaneverbefore,clearandeffectivecommunicationremainsachallenge?

Regardlessofthemyriadofwaysandmeanstoconnect,thefactremains,whenmostbusi-nessleadersareasked“whatisthesingle,largestchallengeyourorganization consistently faces today?”thevastmajoritywillnarrowitdownto“communica-tion,”ormoreaccurately,“theLACKofeffectivecommunica-tion.”Thisthemeseemstoechothroughoutthebusinessworld,nomatterthesizeoftheorganiza-tion—whethertherebe5employ-ees,or500employees.Wemaybe“pluggedin”butarewetrulycom-municatingorsimply“tunedout”?

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The BOP Newsletter is published quarterly by Bent Ericksen & Associates, P.O. Box 10542, Eugene, OR 97440. Copyright © 2013, all rights reserved. No part may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of Bent Ericksen & Associates. Printed in the U.S.A. Subscription rate: $125 per year (no charge for Bent Ericksen clients on Annual Support Agreements).Editorial Staff: Michelle Allen, Rebecca Crane, Joanne Gains, Frank Hotchkiss, Tim Twigg

BOP “Bent-on-Personnel” Quarterly HR NewsletterThis newsletter, which was specifically prepared by the editorial staff of Bent Ericksen & Associates, is not designed to render legal advice or legal opinion. Such advice may only be given by a licensed, practicing attorney, and only when related to actual fact situations. For client service, order information, questions, comments, or materials for inclusion contact:

Bent Ericksen & AssociatesPO Box 10542, Eugene, OR, 97440 800/679-2760 or visit our web site at www.bentericksen.com.

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BOP NEWS—FALL 2013

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Websterdefinescommunica-tionas:aprocessbywhichinfor-mationisexchangedbetweenindividualsthroughacommonsystemofsymbols,signs,orbehavior.Takeamomentandreflectontheconversationsthatyouhavehadinwhicharelation-shipwasstrengthened,enriched,orledtoagreaterunderstand-ingbetweenthetwopersonsinvolved.Or,perhaps,theconver-sationdidnotgosowell,andtherelationshipbecamestrained,orworse,broken.Isthereanythingwehaveinourlivesthatcanbemorerewardingonceachieved--ormorefrustratingwhennotachieved….(otherthanourgolfgame)thancommunication?

Communicationisrootedinthewordscommune,communion,community,commonunion…ithappenswhenthereisacommonunionofthought,community,orasharingofthoughtandideas.Thismeans,theremustbea“giveandtake”processsetintomotion.Bytheverydefinitionofcommunica-tion,theword“exchange”isakeyfactor.Whenwe“exchange”something,inadepartmentstoreforinstance,wegiveanitem,andreceiveanotheriteminreturn.Anexchangeinconversationis,Ilistentoyou,youlistentome.Manytimes,wewalkawayfromthe“exchange”withsomethinginourpossessionthatwevaluemorethanwhatwestartedwith,whetherit’sanewidea,aclearer

understandingofasituationorjustthefeelingofhelpingsome-onebybeingtheretolisten.

Manytimeswedealwithcoworkersorcustomerswhoshowthesametypeofbehaviorasthoseexhibitedbymyseatmateonthatflight─nervous,unsure,scared,overlychatty,fidgety,andperhapsevenonedge,rudeandanxious.Therewardfortakingthetimeandenergytofocusontheseexchangesmayrangefromsuccessfullypreventingreac-tionaryconflicts,toincreasedemployeeengagementorperhapsoverallhighermorale.

Bodylanguageandnon-verbalcommunication may be a more subtleformofcommunication,butcanbejustaspowerful.Forinstance,rollingoftheeyesornoddingtheheadinagreement.Thinkofthetimesthatperhapsyouandyoursignificantotherhaveattendedapartyandbeeninaroomwithmanyotherpeople.Thetwoofyoumakeeyecontactfromacrosstheroomandknowwhattheotheristhinkingjustbyasmileorlookonyourface.Forthoseofusoldenough(andfortu-nateenough)tohaveexperienced

thecomedicexpertiseofJohnnyCarson,youknowexactlyhoweffectivebodylanguageis.Ifyouhaveopportunitytowatchold“TheTonightShowwithJohnnyCarson”filmclips,observehisinteractionwiththecamera.Hislookscanspeakvolumes!Therewasnoonebetteratlisteningandrespondingwithnon-verbalcom-municationthanMr.Carson.

Whateverthemethodandform of communication we choosetouse,onefactremainsconstant—weallwantandneedtobevalidated,heardandunder-stood.OprahWinfrey,theQueenofdaytimetalkshows,oncecom-mentedthatthecommonquestioneachofherguestsalwaysaskedoncethecameraswereoffwas“wasthatokay?”ThiswastruefromthePresidentoftheUnitedStates,tothemostheinouscrimi-nalbehindbars.Sometimes,itdoesn’tmatterifyouagreewithme,butpleasehearme.

Itisuptous,asleadersinourbusinessesororganizations,evenusastheleaderofourownlife,tomakecertainourcommunica-tionskillsarefinelytuned.Itisourresponsibilitytodevelopand

implementtheprotocolsandpro-ceduresthatareneededtoassurethatthosearoundushearus,andinturn,feelheardandvalued.Theoldadage“IknowwhatIsaid,butIdonotknowwhatyouheard”issoverytrue.

Attimesitismuchhardertolistenthantospeak.Volumesofbookshavebeenwrittenandhoursoflecturesandseminarsarepresentedeachyearonbeinganactivelistener.Itcanbeverychallenging.Haveyoueverhadaconversationwithsomeonewhoseemedtobeformulatingtheirresponseinsteadofactuallylisteningtowhatyouaresaying?Howfrustratingisthat?Perhapsthiswaswhyweweregiventwiceasmanyearsasmouths.

Oneofthegoalsinthispro-cessistokeepthelinesofcom-municationclear.Instayingwithour“airplane”experience,iftheselines of communication are not clear,honestandopen,wecancompareittotheairlinepilotwhoannouncestohis/herpassengers,“I have good news, and I have bad news….the bad news is that we are lost. The good news is, we are making really good time.” Makingcertainouremployees,co-workersandcustomershearus,feelheard,andunderstandthecommunicationrequiresustobeintentional about our communi-

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Thisarticleisalsoavailableindigitalformonourwebsiteat:www.bentericksen.comunderthe"ArticleArchive"tab.

cationefforts.Sometimesthatrequiresalittlemoreefforttodevelopthatcycleoffeedback—thatproductive“giveandtake”ofcommunication.

Inthemid-seventies,asong-writerpennedthelyrictoasongthatstated,“Communicationistheproblemtotheanswer.”Nowgranted,thisisnoGeorgeBer-nardShawpearlofwisdom,butIdobelievethisisgreatfoodforthought.

The Things We Do For Love“Communication is the problem to the answer...A compromise would surely help the situation...Agree to disagree, but disagree to part...When after all it's just a compromise of the things we do for love...the things we do for love” 10CC, “The Things We Do For Love”, 1976, Deceptive Bends

• Contributedby:AdrienneWright.AdrienneisaBentEricksen&Associatesconsultant,locatedinOhio.Adriennehasasuccessfulbackgroundinmanagement,marketingandadministra-tion.SheisalsoamemberofSHRM,ADMC,SCNandisanationalspeakeronthetopicofHRManagement.

• Editingby:RebeccaCrane,JoanneGainsandTimTwigg

Onceweunderstandthatcommunicationisthe“prob-lemtotheanswer,”howdoweapproachthosecommunicationroadblocks,andhowdoweiniti-atetheconversationsandworkthruthedaytodaychallenges?Hereareseveralsuggestionstoassist you on your way to clearer communications:

1)Setthetonefortheconver-sationinanon-accusingmanner.Helpthepersonspeakingtofeelateaseandtofeelthatyouareindeedfocusedandlisteningtowhattheyaresaying.

2)Allowthespeakertotellhis/herstorywithoutinterrupt-ing.Thisisnotthetimeto“one-up”theotherpersonbysharingthingslike...”Yes,butwaituntilyouhearwhathappenedtome...”

3)Avoidpassingjudgmentonthespeaker.Thisdoesn’tnecessarilymeanthatyouagreewithwhatisbeingsaid.Itjustmeansthatyouareattemptingtounderstandthefeelingsandperceptionthatthespeakerisdescribing.

4)Ifpossible,holdthecon-versationinaneutralplace.Somewhereallpartieswillfeelsafeandabletoexpresstheirfeelingsandcomments.

Remember,effectivecommu-nicationdoesnothappenbyacci-dent.Itisaskillthattakestime,effortandenergytorefineandmaster.Icanpromiseyou,yourreturnoninvestmentisworththeeffortinyourprofessionalandpersonallife.So,let’sgetthosetraytablesupandseatbacksintheuprightposition,andbeginthecommunicationprocess.

Q: It is my understanding that Illinois just changed the laws regarding concealed weapons. How does this affect me as an employer?

ANSWER: With the enactment of the Firearm Concealed Carry Act (PA 098-0063), private licensed citizens in Illinois will be permitted to carry concealed firearms. In order for employers to prohibit individuals who obtain a license from carrying concealed firearms onto their private property, the Act requires the owner of the property to “clearly and conspicuously” post a four inch by six inch sign in the entrance of the building indicating that firearms are prohib-ited on the property. Employers cannot restrict employees from carrying a concealed firearm into a parking lot or storing a firearm (or ammunition) within a locked vehicle. Employers should not overlook the significance of these signs. Even if an employer has a workplace policy banning firearms, without a sign conforming to the Act’s requirements an employer cannot legally prevent an employee from entering the workplace carrying a concealed weapon. Thus, in addition to visibly posted signs that comply with the Act, employers should ensure that they have well-structured workplace policies prohibiting employees and visitors from bringing weapons into their property. Due to this Act's details, Illinois employers should become familiar with all the nuances of this act to understand how ensure compliance, protect yourself and your business.

Q: It seems as though New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been busy lately passing several laws affecting employers. Do I understand correctly that one of them relates to leave for domestic violence?

ANSWER: Yes, on July 17, 2013, the “New Jersey Security and Financial Empowerment Act” was signed into law. This Act does two things: 1) provides new leave rights to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, and 2) creates additional notice obligations for New Jersey employers. The Act applies to public and private employers with 25 or more employees. The Act is effective as of October 1, 2013.

In general, an eligible employee who is a victim of an incident of domestic violence or a sexually violent offense, or whose child, parent, spouse, domestic partner, or civil union partner is such a victim, is entitled to 20 days of unpaid leave in the 12-month period following the incident of domestic violence or sexual assault. There are several requirements and prohibitions under the Act, for example: the statute requires employers to post a notice in a conspicuous place in the workplace, advising employees of their rights and obligations under the Act. The poster is available from the New Jersey Commissioner of the Labor and Workforce Development website. Here is the link: http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/forms_pdfs/lwdhome/AD-289_9-13.pdf.

BOP NEWS—FALL 2013

Did You Know?

For personnel questions or advice on a specific personnel issue, e-mail us at: info@bentericksen.com

Q + A

Nebraska Paid Time Off accruals must be paid to departing employees in Nebraska?Since2007,undertheNebraskaWagePaymentandCollectionAct,employershavebeenrequiredtopayoutunusedandaccruedvacationatthetimeoftermination,regardlessofpreference,orpolicy.Inrecentyears,manyemployershaveswitchedtoprovidingPaidTimeOff(PTO)insteadofvacation.ManyemployersbelievedthatPTOdidnotfallwithinthesamerulesasvacationand,therefore,couldavoidpayoutatthetimeoftermination.Now,asaresultofanewNebraskaSupremeCourtruling,thisisnottrue.Accordingtotherecentruling,PTOhoursareindistinguishablefromearnedvacationtimeundertheActandsincethatActrequiresanemployertopayearnedbutunusedvacationleavetoanemployeeuponseparationofemployment,employersmustlikewisepayterminatingemployeestheirunusedPTObenefitsuponseparationofemployment.

GeorgiaUsing E-Verify is required for Georgia employers with 11+employees?AsofJuly1,2013,allprivateemployersinGeorgiawithelevenormoreemployeesshouldbeenrolledinandusingE-Verify.E-Verifyisthefederalemploymentverificationsystemforbothnewandre-hires.EmployersmayenrollinE-VerifydirectlyattheU.S.CitizenshipandImmigrationServiceswebsiteorthroughadesignatedagent.Eachyearwhenemployersapplyfororrenewtheirbusinesslicense,occupationaltaxcertificateorotherdocu-mentrequiredtooperateabusinessinGeorgia,theymustprovideevidencethatthecompanyisenrolledinandusesE-Verifyasrequiredorthatthecompanyisexemptbecausetheydonothavethethresholdnumberofemployees.

OklahomaOklahoma passed a historic workers' comp reform law?GovernorMaryFallinhassignedintolawSenateBill1062.Thisisabillthatreformstheworkers'compensationsysteminOklahomaandseekstoreducecostsforbusinesses.Itmovesthestatefromacourt-basedworkers'compsystemtoanadministrativesystem,allowingfortimelypro-cessingofclaimsandreducingtheadversarialnatureoftheprocessforbothworkersandemployers.

T I D B I T S

BOP NEWS—FALL 2013

Mississippi Banned "Living Wage" Law—Thisnewlaw,whichtookeffectonJuly1,2013,prohibitsanycounty,boardofsupervisorsofacounty,municipalityorgoverningauthorityofamunicipalityfromestablishingamandatory,minimumlivingwagerate,minimumnumberofvacationorsickdays,whetherpaidorunpaid,whichwouldregulatehowaprivateemployerpaysitsemployees.

Workplace Violence—Employers,doyouhaveaworkplaceviolenceplaninplace?Ofcourse,itmaynotstopaterrorist,butitshouldpreventsomeincidentsandsavelivesintheeventofacrisis.Hereiswhatitshouldcontainataminimum: 1.Abanonfightingorotherviolentbehaviorofanykind,aswellasthreatening,"bullying,"intimidating,orabusivebehavior. 2. Abanonweaponsintheworkplace. 3.Awayforemployeestoreportsuspiciousactivity,behavior,orconcerns. 4.AnEmployeeAssistanceprogramsothatyouremployeeswithmentalillnessorpersonalproblemscangethelpearly. 5.Apreliminaryplantofollowintheeventofanincident(realizingthatflexibilitywillbeneeded,dependingonthecircumstances),anda designatedpersonorteamwhowillcoordinateevacuationeffortsandcontactswithlawenforcement.

Connecticut Public Policy Supports, and in Some Cases, Requires, Termination of Workplace Harassers—TheConnecticutSupremeCourtrecentlyupheldthereversalofanarbitrator’sdecisiontoreinstateanemployeewhoseemploymentwastermi-natedforsexuallyharassingacoworker.Inreachingitsdecisiontooverturnthearbitrator’srulingforreinstatement,thecourtindicatedthatsomeconductbyaharassermaybesoegregiousthatanypunishmentshortofterminationconstitutesaviolationofpublicpolicy.

WHAT’S NEWIn Employment Compliance

Maryland—"Light Duty" to Pregnant Disabled Women, Leave for Military Family Members and a New Wage LawReasonable Accommodation for Disabilities Due to Pregnancy Act: Effective October 1, 2013Employerswith15ormoreemployeesmustprovidepregnantemployeeswhoaretemporarilydisabledwithlightdutyassignmentsortransfersto lessstrenuousjobs,amongotheraccommodations.

Leave – Deployment of Family Members in the Armed Services ActEligibleemployeeshavetheopportunitytotakeunpaidleavetospendtimewiththeirimmediatefamilymember(i.e.,spouse,parent,stepparent,child,stepchild,orsibling)onthedayheorsheleavesfor,orreturnsfrom,activedutyoutsidetheUnitedStates.TheActdefines"Employer"asapersonorentitythat(1)employs50ormoreindividuals;and(2)isengagedinabusiness,industry,profession,trade,orotherenterpriseinthestate.

The Lien for Unpaid Wages Act Providesamechanismforanemployeetofilealienforunpaidwagesonanemployer'srealorpersonalpropertybeforealawsuitisfiledincourt.Inaddition,thelawcreatesanexpeditedprocessbywhichacourtmustdeterminewhethertoissueanorderestablishingalienforunpaidwageswithin45daysafterthedateonwhichthecomplaintisfiled. New Jersey—"Salary Secrecy: BannedEffectiveimmediately,NewJerseyemployersarebannedfromretaliatingagainstemployeeswhodiscusstheirjobsandcompensationwiththeircol-leaguesifthepurposeofthediscussionistoassistininvestigatingpotentialdiscriminatorytreatmentconcerning“pay,compensation,bonuses,othercompensation,orbenefits.”Thenewlegislation(P.L.2013,c.154)prohibiting“salarysecrecy”isdesignedtocombattheobstaclestouncoveringwagediscriminationcreatedbydiscouragingemployeesfromdiscussingtheirwagesandbenefitswithothers.

New YorkCity—Paid Sick Day LawBeginningApril2014,NewYorkCitycompanieswith20ormoreemployeeswillberequiredtoprovidefivedays(40hours)ofpaidsicktimeeachyear.BeginningOctober2015,thepaidsicktimerequirementwillapplytoemployerswith15-19employeesoratleastonedomesticworker,althoughdomesticworkerswillgenerallybeentitledtoonlytwopaidsickdaysperyear.Smalleremployerswillberequiredtoprovidesickleave,butitneednotbepaid.Thereareexceptionsforcertaineducationprofessionalswhoarepaidhourlyandforthemanufacturingindustry.Thetime-tableforimplementationwillbedelayedifNewYorkCityfailstomeetcertaineconomicindicators,asthelawisdesignedtogointoeffectduringatimewhentheeconomyisimproving.