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Newsletter #67 September 5, 2019 |
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Looking to Grow Your Leadership Skills? Leadership Training Series is the Solution!
A Six Part Series for Lead People, Supervisors and Team Leaders
We kicked off our Fall offering of this series in August with the first class, Leadership I. Attendees provided rave reviews on the content they learned during the first class : “Great information presented in an impactful manner." “Great facilitator.”
The second class is just around the corner and it’s not too late to sign up! Join us for Leadership II on 9/11/19. Curriculum for each day of the Leadership Series can stand independently – allowing participants the flexibility to attend the training days in any order.
Topics for Leadership II Include: Making the Transition from Peer to Leader Increasing Productivity and Time Management How to Coach Team Members Toward Productivity Improving Listening Skills Managing Conflict.
Our Leadership Training is a six day, multi-module series focused on practical skills and tools that Supervisors, Team Leaders and Lead People need to succeed in today’s business environment. Skill building is accomplished through a combination of lecture, exercises, role plays, games assessments and skill checks. This series also provides an excellent opportunity for higher level managers to review, renew, and reinforce leadership skills; and is a great tool for building skills of potential up and coming leaders.
Who Should Attend?
Supervisors, Lead People, Team Leaders, Shift Leaders, Working Supervisors, future leaders, anyone interested in growing their leadership skills.
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| | GEA Salary Survey Interest Poll
We are in the process of determining interest in GEA’s Salary Survey. The last survey we did in 2017 had approximately 40 participants. In order to make the survey viable and useful to participants, we need to have a much larger participant pool. If you are interested in participating in the survey, please respond by registering your interest in participating and commitment to completing the survey. There is no cost to participate in the survey and GEA Member participants receive a free copy of the survey upon completion.
Thanks for your support of GEA and I look forward to seeing the results to determine if there is sufficient support to continue this service.
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| | 6th Cir.: Employer's Policy Banning Deaf Workers From Forklifts Was Discriminatory
By Jennifer Carson
A jury verdict in favor of a deaf employee who was prohibited from operating a forklift after years of successful operation was upheld (Siewertsen v. Worthington Industries, Inc., Nos. 16-4259/17-4135 (6th Cir. August 20, 2019)).
The employee operated a forklift for several years in his role as a shipper. When his employer passed a company-wide policy prohibiting deaf employees from operating forklifts, the employee was moved to a lower-level position with fewer advancement opportunities but did not have his pay reduced. A jury concluded that the employee was capable of performing the essential functions of a shipper position (which included forklift operation), that he suffered an adverse employment action, and that the employer failed to prove that the employee posed a direct threat to himself or others.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the jury verdict. The employee had demonstrated that he could safely operate a forklift even without being able to hear, and his job transfer was an adverse action because it moved him to a less challenging role and limited his opportunity for promotions and raises. Additionally, the employee had operated the forklift for over 10 years without an accident and had effective safety and communication protocols; it was reasonable for the jury to have concluded he did not pose a direct threat, the court said.
As this case demonstrates, there is often more than one way to successfully perform a job's essential functions.
Here, although the employee couldn't hear whether his forklift horn was functional, he checked it every day by sounding it and feeling for the vibration. He also sounded the horn when approaching known blind spots and observed pedestrians' reactions to ensure they knew he was coming.
Randy Lewis, who has served as Walgreens' SVP of supply chain and logistics, recommends asking applicants how they would approach a particular task if they are not able to perform a job in a traditional way: "If it takes two hands to handle the case, ask the person," he said at a recent conference on employing people with disabilities. "Show them the job and ask how they'd do it. Chances are they've had a lifetime of figuring out how to do it."
It's important to remember that unfounded concerns about safety do not justify discrimination against applicants or employees. The "direct threat" standard requires an employer to show that an employee's condition poses "a significant risk of substantial harm" to the employee or others. This is a high bar, particularly if an employee has already been working in a position without incident. Additionally, a direct threat can often be reduced or eliminated by one or more reasonable accommodations.
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| | | Upcoming Training & Networking
Register Soon!
November 6-7: Fall Conference, The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Oconee
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Georgia Employers' Association |
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