MAY 2007: BUSINESS TOOLS, HUMAN RESOURCES
Summer brings
sun, fun and workplace headaches
While our daily weather is not always an indicator, summer is
just around the corner. It’s this season that can cause
employers some of their greatest challenges.
People want to take time off during the next few months, but
for some organizations, the summer months are busy, which makes
letting employees go on vacation very difficult.
Finding the right balance between granting vacation time to
employees anxious to play in the sunshine while meeting the
organization’s needs is often tricky.
Work attire is another summertime headache. Employees,
reveling in the warmer weather, find business-casual dress
codes restrictive. Employers struggle with questions about bare
legs, shorts, sleeveless T-shirts, midriff displays, and
flip-flops.
How much skin showing is allowed? Can men work without a
shirt? Are sheer tops appropriate? Are cropped pants
acceptable? Can employers have one standard for the office and
a separate one for the plant? (The answer to this last one is
“yes.”) According to Rosemary Haefner, vice
president of human resources for CareerBuilder.com, the worst
work apparel mistakes during summer months are: denim shorts,
short skirts, revealing tops, flip-flops, workout attire, beach
wear and concert T-shirts or shirts with offensive slogans or
logos.
Then there are the temperature fluctuations and how to address
them. What if someone is too cold and others are complaining of
the heat? There seems to be no perfect air-conditioning
setting.
That situation is far easier to resolve, however, than those
in which employees are subjected to much higher heat levels
because of their work. Employees in bakeries, foundries,
maintenance shops or on construction sites or road crews can be
in harm’s way just doing their job during the summer
months.
Employers must be proactive about preventive measures to
ensure that heat stroke, fainting and heat rashes are avoided.
OSHA (www.osha.gov/STLC/heatstress/index.html) provides
a wide variety of tips and materials that can be helpful to
employers in planning how to respond to the summer heat when it
arrives.
Summer activities are also an employer’s concern. Is the
organization going to sponsor an employee baseball or softball
team? How will injuries that occur be handled? Without a
specific waiver, are they likely to fall under workers’
compensation? Will there be a company picnic? How will any
injuries resulting from the water balloon toss or the extended
stretch by a usually sedentary employee for that errant
volleyball be handled? Will alcohol be served or allowed?
The potential for em-ployer liability for accidents or
incidents, both at the picnic and on the drive home, associated
with any provided or allowed alcohol can be a major
concern.
Summer is supposed to be a fun time, the time when
everyone’s spirits are a little lighter and more upbeat.
But for employers, the season presents a whole set of
issues.
Being thoughtful about what concerns exist, determining
how best to protect the business, and being clear with
employees about what is and isn’t acceptable in advance
will go a long way to ensuring that everyone can enjoy the
warmth and opportunities that come with the pleasant
weather.
— Judy Clark,
SPHR
CEO, HR Answers
jclark@hranswers.com
