Equal Pay and Palin

Ryan Johnson's WorldAtWork blog says that equal pay will get even more play now with the Sarah Palin nomination as VP: click here

And indeed, Barack Obama's first shot at Palin came about because of this: click here

This is not the only issue for Human Resources that's at stake here...

Questions are floating around about whether she was picked because she was a woman and where she should be at this point in her life considering her special needs toddler and her pregnant teenage daughter. Whether you fall on one side of the issue or the other, these are legitimate questions to ponder...and to relate to as a Human Resource professional.

Are there double standards here? Would a male in the same position be examined in the same spotlight? Do you/others do this at your company? And how far do you think the Democrats can go in pursuing this line of thinking? Sexism has been a hot topic of the presidential race from Hillary Clinton to Sarah Palin and the issue is far from going away. This may be a good time to think about if it exists in your own company and how to combat that. And while politics don't always reflect real life, it'll be interesting to hear all the stories that come out in support or against Palin based on personal experiences people have had with this in the workplace.

UPDATE 10:45 AM EST: Politico has caught on and is saying the Senate Democrats are going to force McCain to vote on the issue of equal pay: click here

Clinton and Obama as Managers

Leave it those Neanderthals over there at Harvard to bring in another aspect into the mudslinging of candidates in this political race between John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama: click here

(Just kidding on that...I went to Brandeis so we have much love to our brethren down the Charles River...and even more love for their business cases)

Without getting into a real political discussion here, it's amazing that this hasn't been brought up more often. Especially the "Managing People" aspect. President Bush has done an unbelievably inept job at this in his time as President between "Scooter" Libby and his two Attorney Generals (the latter of which got into a lot of hot water over his "Managing People" skills) and the scores of other officials around him (don't forget FEMA and the whole Katrina disaster) who turned out to be incapable of handling their job, incapable of managing others, or just totally inept.

And lets not forget Bush hasn't done a great job at "Managing Money" either, as highlighted by this article in the New York Times: click here

Mr. Robert Hormats [vice chairman of Goldman Sachs International] mentioned Social Security and Medicare, saying that both could have been put “on a more sustainable basis.” And he cited the committee’s own calculations from last fall that showed that the money spent on the war each day is enough to enroll an additional 58,000 children in Head Start for a year, or make a year of college affordable for 160,000 low-income students through Pell Grants, or pay the annual salaries of nearly 11,000 additional border patrol agents or 14,000 more police officers.

We'll let that sink in.........

Ok...and let's also not forget the whole "Managing Expectations" aspect either: click here

So do I agree with the article? Not completely. Leaving McCain out of the article completely but instead referencing him in passing at the end was not exactly the most even-handed way to do it.

And I think that both Senators Clinton and Obama both have "Managing People" problems. Obama's have definitely shown up recently with his association with Tony Rezko and Clinton's are most prevalently with her own husband--which is another story completely (and could go towards keeping those under your watch under wraps and in control).

And while "Manager" may be a broader title, for the Human Resource aspect the money management realm, while important, is not really relevant.

But the idea is a good one--which candidate would make a good Human Resource Manager. Because those thirsty for change, don't want President Bushes running their country and those in charge won't want President Bushes running their companies.

Update: Yeah...about "Hilldog" and her ability to Manage People: click here

What I'm Hearing...The Employee Free Choice Act

With all the recent political coverage, we’ve heard a lot about the Presidential candidates’ plans for healthcare reform, retirement security, and a host of other topics that impact Human Resources. One proposed law, however, that’s slipped beneath the radar is the Employee Free Choice Act.

Although comprised of a variety of facets, long story short, the potential law proposes that employees should be able to form a union simply by signing authorization cards. A formal election would no longer be required for employees to become organized labor.

The proposed law (H.R. 800, S. 1041) is supported by both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. John McCain opposes the law. Mike Huckabee is silent on the topic.

The Employee Free Choice Act chips away at the cornerstone of our nation’s labor relations code, the Wagner Act, also known as the National Labor Relations Act. When voting this November, be sure to consider how the candidates’ stands on this law will impact your daily job as an HR practitioner. How would your work change if employees could unionize without your having a say in the matter?