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<b style="color: blue">Human Resource Associates</b>
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<h2>HR - On The Job</h2>
<h3>Can You Control Off-Duty Behavior?</h3>
<p>A Michigan company, Weyco Inc, ordered all their employees to stop smoking or using tobacco products of any kind on or off the job! They refused to hire anyone who smoked. They conducted random testing to detect tobacco in employee’s bodies. Those employees who smoked were ordered to stop. 12 employees did quit smoking. 3 didn’t and were forced to resign. Some think their next move is to target overweight workers.</p>
<p>Is this legal? Can Weyco Inc fire employees for what they do off the job in their private lives? In Michigan they can.</p>
<p>There are now more than 22 states including Michigan that allow companies to refuse to employee smokers. Weyco justified their policy as an employer’s right to protect itself from the “enormous financial harm” and health hazard caused by smokers.</p>
<p>Most companies are “Employment At Will” employers (See Personnel Notebook “Employment At Will, Does It Still Work”) on the association’s website.) and may cease employment at any time and for any reason that is not identified as an illegal reason. Illegal reasons include such things as race, color, sex, or national origin. The question then is, “Is smoking identified as an illegal reason for termination?”</p>
<p>There is no federal law protecting the rights of smokers but 28 states and the District of Columbia do have laws that prohibit discrimination against individuals for engaging in lawful activities on their own time.</p>
<p>But as a general rule, an employee’s private life and his life style off the job cannot be controlled by the employer. But there are circumstances when an employee’s off-duty behavior does open the door for company intervention.</p>
There are 2 basic areas of concern when it comes to off-duty activities, it’s affect on the employees job performance and its affect on the company’s image.</p>
<h4>Job Performance</h4>
<p>An employee may drink himself into a stupor every night of the week. But unless you can identify the specific effect on his job performance, safety or the necessary judgment needed to perform the job, there should be no call for intervention. If you do see those problems then you should definitely step in as such action may endanger other employees and the public.</p>
<h4>Company Image</h4>
<p>If the employee’s off-duty activities are adversely reflecting on the company’s reputation or image, you may have to consider stepping in. If for example, the employee is engaged in a bar room fight or is driving drunk and is wearing a company logo on his shirt or hat, or he announces that he is employed by your company, then action may be called for. But if he is capable of keeping his personal and professional lives separate then you should probably ignore it.</p>
<p>And what may be a surprise to many companies, an employee on FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) may go to work for another company while still employed by you. Although anything the FMLA leave employee does that shows her leave is fraudulent (i.e. running a marathon while on maternity leave) the law allows her to do anything, go anyplace or even work elsewhere during the leave.</p>
<p>However, if the employee’s position in your company is one of prominence, such a Salesperson or a Public Relations Director, then their private life is likely to be a direct reflection of your company. Your VP of Finance who files bankruptcy might also be a good example. In such cases company intervention may be called for.</p>
<p>So, focus on job performance, actual impact on the company’s image, remember employee’s FMLA rights and check the laws in your state for private activities protected by law.</p>
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<p align="center"><b><i>Have an employment question?</i></b></p>
<p align="center">Send it to <a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=From HR On The Job">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p align="center">Please include Company Name and Association in your e-mail. Company identification will be kept confidential.</p>
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<p style="text-align: center"><sub>© William J. Cook</sub></p>
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<span class="heading">Labor Stats</span>
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<b>Federal Minimum Wage</b>
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<b>$7.25</b>/hour<br />
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<b>Average Income</b>
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<tr><td /><td class="u">December 2013</td><td class="u">December 2012<td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">Hourly</td><td class="b">$24.17</td><td class="b">$23.75</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">Weekly</td><td class="b">$831.45</td><td class="b">$819.38</td></tr>
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<b>Federal Povery Level</b>
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<tr><td class="i">one person</td><td class="b">$11,490</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">family of four</td><td class="b">$23,550</td></tr>
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<b>IRS Mileage Allowance</b>
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<tr><td class="i">business</td><td><b>56</b> cents/mile</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">medical or moving</td><td><b>23.5</b> cents/mile</b></td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">charitable</td><td><b>14</b> cents/mile</td></tr>
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<b>Postage</b>
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<tr><td class="i">1 oz</td><td><b>49</b> cents</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">postcard</td><td><b>34</b> cents</td></tr>
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<p>On January 27, 2013, the 1 oz rate will increase to <b>46</b> cents and the Postcard rate will increase to <b>33</b> cents.</p>
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<b>Population</b>
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<tr><td class="i">U.S.</td><td class="b">316.2 Million</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">world</td><td class="b">7.1 Billion</td></tr>
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<i>one birth every </i><b>8</b><i> seconds;</i><br />
<i>one death every </i><b>12</b><i> seconds;</i><br />
<i>one new immigrant every </i><b>40</b><i> seconds;</i><br />
<i>net gain of one person every </i><b>17</b><i> seconds.</i>
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<b>U.S. Civilian Workforce</b>
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<tr><td /><td class="u">December 2013</td><td class="u">December 2012</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">Total</td><td class="b">154,937,000</td><td class="b">155,485,000</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">Employed</td><td class="b">144,586,000</td><td class="b">143,212,000</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">Unemployed</td><td class="b">10,351,000</td><td class="b">12,273,000</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">Want A Job</td><td class="b">6,111,000</td><td class="b">6,725,000</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">Unemployment Rate</td><td class="b">6.7%</td><td class="b">7.9%</td></tr>
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<b>U.S. Workforce Productivity</b><br />
<sub><i>(The amount of goods produced, divided by the number of work hours it took to produce it)</i></sub>
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<tr><td class="i">1992</td><td class="b">3.7%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">1993</td><td class="b">0.5%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">1994</td><td class="b">1.3%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">1995</td><td class="b">0.9%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">1996</td><td class="b">2.5%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">1997</td><td class="b">2.0%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">1998</td><td class="b">2.6%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">1999</td><td class="b">3.3%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">2000</td><td class="b">3.4%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">2001</td><td class="b">2.9%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">2002</td><td class="b">4.6%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">2003</td><td class="b">3.7%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">2004</td><td class="b">2.8%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">2005</td><td class="b">1.7%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">2006</td><td class="b">0.9%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">2007</td><td class="b">1.9%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">2008</td><td class="b">1.8%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">2009</td><td class="b">+5.8%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">2010</td><td class="b">+3.6%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">2011</td><td class="b">+0.7%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">2012</td><td class="b">+0.7%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">2013 1st Quarter</td><td class="b">(-0.3%)</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">2013 2nd Quarter</td><td class="b">+3.3%</td></tr>
<tr><td class="i">2013 3rd Quarter</td><td class="b">+4.7%</td></tr>
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