2 Fresno authors tackle the workplace
In a world of employee lawsuits, tougher regulations and overly cautious managers, two Fresno authors are hoping to give employers some new tools for creating a better, more productive workplace.
The 170-page book's provocative title, "Sex, Politics & Religion at the Office," is meant to raise eyebrows and provoke discussion, said authors Doug Noll and John Boogaert.
The book, published last month, has already captured some national attention, including a spot on Forbes.com's book club and a review in Echelon, an online magazine.
The two men have spent years working with employers on corporate leadership, conflict resolution and mediation. And they say employers too often clamp down on discussions involving sex, politics and religion, fearing conflict, or worse, costly litigation.
"What we end up doing is repressing these basic human values that define who we are as people," said Boogaert, also author of "No Feet in Concrete: Leadership in an Entrepreneurial World." "But the situation becomes like a water balloon, and we keep squeezing and squeezing until we have a big mess."
The mess is usually a lawsuit, the very thing that employers try to protect against.
But Noll and Boogaert suggest that employers approach these situations in a different way. Rather than forbid discussions about the subjects, employers should try and deal with them in an open, honest and nonjudgmental way.
The result is a workplace that is accepting of people's differences and more productive and ultimately more profitable.
"This gives companies a significant competitive advantage," said Noll, an attorney, mediator and part of the consulting firm Boogaert & Noll. "This can give employers an easier time recruiting and keeping good people."
Noll and Boogaert say their ideas aren't meant to replace legal protections against employment discrimination, harassment or any other type of mistreatment.
And this isn't for all companies. They said it takes courage and commitment to do things differently.
"You should be careful and move very gently into this," Boogaert said. "This is not a slam dunk."
But done correctly, it could help employers prevent situations like one described in their book.
The authors write about a real-life situation in which an older employee was having problems performing his job because of a lack of attention to detail.
Fearing an age discrimination lawsuit, the company's human resources department strongly urged the employee's managers to be extremely careful in dealing with this employee, including not mentioning his age in any way.
The employee was demoted, he sued and the company settled the case for $60,000.
"But what the company didn't know is that the employee was later diagnosed with early Alzheimer's," Boogaert said. "All of this could have been avoided if they had just sat down with this guy and asked him: 'What is going on? And how can we help.' "
Employment law and human resource experts say the book poses a challenge for employers seeking to create a better work environment.
Mark Keppler, a California State University, Fresno, professor of human resource management, agrees that open communication is important for companies, but the culture of protecting against litigation is difficult to change.
"We do have situations where [human resources] people and managers overcompensate because of what they think is the legal requirement," Keppler said. "But even those who are are knowledgeable will err on the side of caution."
Employment attorney Shelline K. Bennett sees the irony and harm that can come from companies that try too hard to muzzle discussion of sensitive topics such as sex, politics and religion.
"It is unnatural and it makes little sense to cap these fundamental human characteristics in us, but the Legislature has done that," said Bennett, managing partner of Leibert Cassidy Whitmore in Fresno.
"But if an employer is daring enough to do some of these things in the book, they could be on the forefront."
The book retails for $18.95 and is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and through the author's Web site, http://www.sprattheoffice.com/.
The reporter can be reached at brodriguez@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6327.
