One of the things that makes it tricky to set hard and fast ethical standards is that every ethical dilemma is different. Academics who study ethics have come up with Ethical (or Moral) Intensity as a way to describe the various dimensions along which dilemmas can differ; each one will … Read More
The fun part about writing job descriptions – ok, the part that most people focus on – is the list of tasks that an employee is responsible for: answering phones, accounts payable, supervising, scheduling, etc. These are the obvious parts of a job, but there is more to it than … Read More
Whether you are trying to introduce consistency to tasks being done or to make it easier to train new employees, work instructions, sometimes referred to as standard work, can make life much simpler. It is easy to see how specific instructions on how to do a job would be helpful … Read More
One thing board members, especially of nonprofits with 1-3 employees, often have trouble wrapping their minds around is the idea that they are an employer. That seems too much like being a business, not a nonprofit. But the organization is an employer with the same responsibilities as any for-profit employer, … Read More
One of the lesser-known aspects of the ADA is that it makes it illegal to discriminate against someone because they “associate” with someone with a disability. According to the EEOC: The ADA prohibits discrimination based on relationship or association in order to protect individuals from actions based on unfounded assumptions … Read More
Having volunteers seems like a no-brainer for every nonprofit, but there are some things to think about when you do. In no particular order, a few of them are: Get applicable releases from volunteers before they start work, starting with a medical release. For minors, get a photo release from … Read More
Pregnancy isn’t considered a disability in the same way that cancer or MS are, but the federal government recognizes that pregnant women can be discriminated against in similar ways and has taken steps to rectify this. Under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, pregnant women are entitled to accommodations just as disabled … Read More
When “sex” was first included as a protected class in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it meant that women couldn’t be excluded from employment opportunities just because they weren’t men. Over the years, a more nuanced view of gender (the less distracting term borrowed from grammar) has come to … Read More
When an employee is seriously injured, on or off the job, getting a doctor’s release so they can go back to work can be difficult. Unless you can tell the doctor exactly what the job entails physically, he or she is unlikely to sign off on anything other than a … Read More
One component of a Return to Work Plan, and a good way to get employees working again as soon as possible, is to provide a light-duty option, often called a transitional job. Taking a little time to think through at least the outlines of how you can accommodate someone who … Read More