Employment Learning Innovations & Workplace Culture Blog

Dismissed Claims Cost Time, Productivity and Money

Stephen M. Paskoff March 8, 2011 No Comments

Marcus Lashley, an EEO professional with the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), recently directed my attention to some EEOC statistics involving discrimination charges in the federal sector. In fiscal year 2009, discrimination cases cost the federal government $12 million in legal fees, $10.2 million in compensatory damages, $15.7 million in lump-sum awards and $41.7 million in total benefits. The good news is that of 16,947 complaints filed, the vast

The 97 Percent Problem: Why Meritless Claims Matter

Stephen M. Paskoff February 21, 2011 No Comments

A federal government agency official recently told me that charges of employment discrimination were way up across his large department. Most cases, he said, involved hostile workplace environment claims, and about 97 percent were lacking merit and ultimately dismissed. My legal mind immediately thought, “Only 3 percent at most are valid claims: Great legal defense record, especially when you consider these were probably settled internally

How You Say It Matters: Just Ask Harry Potter

Tucker Miller February 15, 2011 No Comments

In “The Chamber of Secrets,” Harry Potter is introduced to the Floo Network: a network of fireplaces connecting locations within the wizarding world. Using the Floo Network to travel from one place to another, all that is required is to toss magical floo powder into a fireplace, step into the magical green fire produced by the powder and proclaim the intended destination. Instantly, travelers arrive

Install Civility as a Business Process

Stephen M. Paskoff February 9, 2011 No Comments

Tell business leaders there’s a new operational process that will increase safety, quality, teamwork and innovation, cut down on mistakes, surface problems, boost profitability, safeguard their brand, and reduce regulatory risk. Many executives will say they’re in the business of reality – not magical thinking – though perhaps in saltier language. Tell them it won’t cost as much as a fraction of an upper executive

Managers: The Guardians of Workplace Standards

Stephen M. Paskoff February 2, 2011 No Comments

When senior leaders contradict the organization’s standards by making inappropriate comments or by failing to deal with others who do so, they’re sending the message to employees that the organization isn’t serious about those standards. When they require employees to attend ethics and compliance training but don’t show up themselves because they’re “too busy,” or when they joke about mandatory sexual harassment training, employees won’t take the training

ELI Awarded General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule Contract

ELI, Inc. February 1, 2011 No Comments

Federal Agencies Receive Contract Pricing for EEO and Human Resources Training ATLANTA (February 1, 2011) — Employment Learning Innovations (ELI, Inc.) a compliance, ethics and workplace behavior training company that has been helping organizations create more productive workplaces for 25 years, has been awarded an U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule human resources and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) services contract. Federal government buyers and eligible agencies