Poorly Crafted Wellness Programs Can Make Employers “Sick” Pt. 2

April 5, 2012

Employers that do choose to dole out incentives should make sure the incentive is available even if an employee does not complete the program’s health risk assessment, so an employee can choose not to divulge personal information.

While the question of appropriate incentives is one that can lead to litigation, the health information that employees provide as part of a health risk assessment can also present problems for employers under HIPAA’s privacy rules, the ADA’s confidentiality provisions, GINA and state privacy laws.  Read More >

Poorly Crafted Wellness Programs Can Make Employers “Sick”

March 22, 2012

Businesses are turning to wellness programs to curb health care expenses, but programs that aren’t carefully crafted can lead to costly privacy and discrimination litigation for employers.

Wellness programs focusing on weight reduction, exercise, smoking cessation and other lifestyle habits that negatively impact health can lead to big savings for employers by targeting behaviors that can cause conditions that drive up their health care expenditures. But programs that give employers too much information about their employees can leave employers vulnerable Read More >

Escaping the Clutches of Weasels and Whiners

August 11, 2011

The last blog introduced the Weasel and the Whiner – this week, we will discuss how you can stay focused on your career goals and avoid distractions presented by these workplace pests.

First, you must be able to discern who is a toxic individual. Once identified, you have to figure out a strategic way to remove yourself from the Toxic Team.  Start by reminding these individuals of your tremendous work load, which prevents you from extended water cooler chats.  This is a diplomatic way of removing yourself (without revealing your feelings) from their constant pity parties.  This maneuver also allows you the cover of maintaining the relationships, while actually separating yourself from them.  Read More >

Weasels and Whiners: Toxic Teams In Today’s Workplace

July 25, 2011

A well respected business writer described two workplace personality types that are of interest to the female executive as they are extremely adept at derailing her career.  He dubs them Weasels and Whiners.

Weasels are individuals who purposely sabotage the organization, taking every opportunity to undermine management’s authority. This individual stops at nothing to bring an organization to its knees, including introducing a virus into the computer system or refusing to give important messages to her superior.

The Whiner, on the other hand, is not nearly as purposeful, but equally destructive.  Read More >