Benefits November 10, 2011

Manners Important to Career Advancement

November 10, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A new Robert Half survey finds nearly half (48%) of workers interviewed said being courteous to others can help an employee rise through the ranks.
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Another 41% said etiquette plays at least some role in career advancement, but skills play a bigger role. Only 10% indicated being courteous has no impact at all on career prospects.  

Robert Half also has introduced new videos illustrating some of the most egregious examples of office etiquette faux pas as part of the firm’s ongoing video series, “Don’t Let This Happen to You.” The lighthearted videos, including “The Cupcake Caper,” along with advice on avoiding common blunders, can be found at www.roberthalf.com/dont-let-this-happen-to-you.  

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The survey was developed by Robert Half International, conducted by an independent research firm, and is based on interviews with more than 430 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments.   

Robert Half also asked workers to recount the worst or wackiest etiquette blunders they’ve witnessed or heard about in the workplace. 

Some of the more memorable anecdotes about etiquette blunders are: 

  • "While collaborating on a project, I saw an employee yell, 'Forget this!' and throw all the papers she was holding into the air as she walked out." 
  • "A coworker fell asleep at her desk and another team member took a picture of her snoozing and sent it to the boss." 
  • "A colleague of mine would actually clip his nails at his desk while working." 
  • "Someone was stealing other people's lunches from the lounge area." 
  • "A colleague purposely sneezed in the boss's coffee cup." 
  • "A coworker had a drink at lunch and returned to work tipsy. It was awkward." 
  • "After asking me a question, a coworker talked excessively for 30 minutes without letting me get in one word." 
  • "Someone didn't get what he wanted and loudly hung up on a conference call." 
  • "I once heard an employee screaming at a customer." 
  • "A colleague was making fun of other people's work in public." 
  • "Someone thought he put a customer on hold and then used inappropriate language within earshot." 
  • "Employees were walking around the office barefoot." 
  • "A person took a cell phone into the restroom while still talking." 
Benefits November 10, 2011

Comfort Suites to Pay For Discrimination Against Clerk with Autism

November 10, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Tarsadia Hotels, doing business as Comfort Suites, will pay $132,500 and implement changes to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission  (EEOC) filed on behalf of hotel clerk with autism. 
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The EEOC charged that a front desk clerk at the Comfort Suites Mission Valley Hotel in San Diego was denied a reasonable accommodation, disciplined, and ultimately fired in 2008 due to his disability.  The clerk, who has autism, had prior hotel experience in a similar position, where his work earned him a positive recommendation. Shortly after starting at Comfort Suites, he sought free job coach services from the state.  A job coach would have helped the clerk learn to master his job by using autism-specific training techniques.  However, Tarsadia refused to allow the assistance of a job coach and then fired him.

As part of settlement, the parties entered into a three-year consent decree under which Tarsadia will pay the claimant $125,000 and donate $7,500 to Partnerships With Industry, a San Diego-based non-profit organization that provides employment support to people  with disabilities. Tarsadia further agreed to sweeping changes, including revising its policies and procedures with respect to ADA compliance; hiring an EEO consultant to train all Tarsadia employees of their ADA rights and responsibilities, and ensure the proper handling of reasonable accommodation requests and disability-related complaints; and agreeing to hold managers and supervisors accountable in their evaluations for compliance with policies against disability discrimination and retaliation. The company will also submit annual reports to the EEOC on its compliance with the decree’s terms.

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Mark Berger, president and chief executive officer of Partnerships with Industry,  stated in a press release: “We are grateful that EEOC took a stand against disability discrimination, a serious problem which all too often plagues individuals with developmental disabilities. We believe that individuals with disabilities can make productive workers as long as employers are willing to work with them through accommodations.”

The case is EEOC v. Tarsadia Hotels dba Comfort Suites, No. 10-CV-1921-DMS-BGS.

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