Take our survey: How Obama’s policies will affect you
November 11, 2008 by Jim GiulianoPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Uncategorized
Take our survey on how the employment-law policies of President-elect Obama will affect your job, and see how other HR managers responded.
Do you think President-elect Obama’s policies on employment law will:
- Make your job more difficult (70%, 894 Votes)
- Have no effect (22%, 277 Votes)
- Make your job easier (8%, 115 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,286
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November 18th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Please share the results of this poll with Obama and his staff. They need to try and fully understand the implications of their impending actions on this country.
November 19th, 2008 at 9:05 am
I don’t think Obama’s policies will effect a lot of employees; however, companies who do not have a clearly defined benefit package may find new stipulations mandatory and this could cause a hardship for some organizations.
November 19th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I do believe that Obama’s policies will have a profound and accelerated degredation of an already overburdened and undersupported function…Human Resources. Let’s break down the term…Human (pertaining to people)….Resources (pertaining to provision of necessary tools and support for employees to grow and prosper). It is absolutely frightening to see that Obama, although extremely charismatic and intelligent, is as ill informed as he is on the things very basic to helping people be successful. For instance…his stance on “Card Check Neutrality”…for anyone that has experienced a unionizing campaign where this is the tactic of the union, it becomes blatantly apparent that this startegy is nothing more than a veiled ploy to sytematically and intentionally extort companies through slander campaigns. All the while claiming to be “supporting the fair treatment of employees of these companies”, they pay people to infiltrate workplaces, instigate and manufacture situations that are later exploited and advertised as examples of unfair treatment in these workplaces. Bottom line….the AFL-CIO split essentially over this very issue. Realizing that unions were losing more and more supervised elections, certain unions (i.e. UNITE-Here, UFCW, SEIU, etc.) opted to take a more aggressive tact in gaining union due paying members. Simply, the unions were and continue to lose membership….resulting in lost revenue. Union are just as much a business as the businesses and companies they attack. Ironically, they are allowed under the current regulations governed by the NLRB to make false promises, use extortion tactics, and essentially mislead people to give them money to “represent” them in areas that are already heavily legislated and successfully governed. Card Check Neutrality strips American citizens of their ability to gain accurate, honest information with which to make an informed decision as to if they want third party representation or not. Mr. Obama’s support of this concept will further separate individuals from the individividual rights as free citizens. Like or not…we live in a Democratic society. A society that allows for people to make their free and concious choices in life. Taking away a secret ballot supervised election cuts against everything that this great country was built upon. Allowing unions to have free reign to crucify businesses and take advantage of the working class citizens is nothing short of deceit, fraud, and ultimately…theft. The most upsetting of all of this political strife is that the average working class citizen is the one that pays the greatest price….not only financially, but it is personally hurtful.
I hope and pray that Mr. Obama will surround himself with sound advisors that can help familiarize him with the realities associated with Card Check Neutrality. If he really wants to bring change, then he needs to begin with changing our countries losing battle against organizations (unions) that have very bad intentions against businesses and employees….it’s all about the money! How about reform of the NLRA/NLRB? Perhaps a leveling of the playing field could actually prevent further exploitation of more American citizens.
It is important to point out that unions played a critical and pivotol part in the creation of greatly needed laws and governing bodies to ensure that the American worker is treated fairly. The fact is…that day has passed and the work is done. What we have left are groups of individuals that are holding on to the last vestiges of what made unions admirable, and turned them into the epitome of money hungry opportunists….the very thing they started out to protect citizens against.
November 24th, 2008 at 10:40 am
We are a small technologies company falls right into the “25″ employee line. With the democrats busy drafting all kind of additional burden such as additional sick days, time-off for children and the additional tightened employment overhead, I have been told that the company will hold the employment within the 25 people limit. We have planned originally to increase another 4 openings during 09, now is on hold until various strategies are sorted out.
One of the suggestion is to either farm out all the administration employees including HR. This means two possibilities in related to me, either I would loose my job with my current company and end up “assign” to a contract HR company with less benefit and less enjoyable, or my job will end up to facing more complicated to have administration work done thru an outsource company although it will be the best case to me.
The bigger problem or challenge is that company has a 5 years plan to grow to 50 people, 2009 is our 4th years. Our first three years are right on track on our operating results, i.e. sales, profit and organization. But now everything is on hold for alternative strategies. Everyone work here enjoy working here, the company provides excellent benefit, fully paid POS health insurance with tier-one carrier, Safe Harbor 401K, annual cash bonus with average of 6.6% annual salary increase, stock options. We did not need Federal government to tell us how to treat employee good, because there is such a thing call “market competition”! By government imposing additional restrictions, it will not only making it more difficult for my job but I believe it will actually hurt the employees.
I constantly question why do Mr. Obama and his party want to damage or making it more difficult for small company likes us? How many of them has ever been a truly small company owners?
January 5th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
People like Mina Chan (who made the above comments) need to realize that not ALL people have such a fabulous place to work and NEED extra protection. There is nothing wrong with expanding FMLA, lengthing the statute of limitations for people to file on fraudulent pay practices, etc. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the FMLA Expansion Act and the Healthy Families Act are all wonderful changes that as a degreed 15-year HR professional I would love to see enacted. If ALL companies were doing “the right thing” from the start, not only would the Department of Labor be an uneeded entity but HR personnel would become a thing of the past as well. I work for a small company too and if we are doing the right things already, we should’t have to worry about it. So what if it causes a little more work? In any situation doing the right thing is rarely the easist path to take but it’s usually the best one. I am all about protecting the employees in this country. Without them, ALL small businesses would cease to exist.
January 20th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Wayne is a very smart guy. Anyone who doesn’t think that $450 million in campaign funding (by the Unions for Democratic candidates) is going to have a negative affect on business and therefore the people who work for businesses, is asleep at the switch.
We do need to let Obama and our congressman know our thoughts and pray that Obama is wildly successful. Otherwise it twill be a tough 4 years.
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:58 am
Wayne! Bravo to you. Maybe represent us at the White House? LOL, thanks for your post. I haven’t heard this situation spelled out so clearly as what you just shared.
Tracy… agreed, BUT a little more work? Why don’t you come help me with your spare time. I am all about doing the right thing, but this goes back to grade school where there is no recess because one goober kid couldn’t keep his mouth shut. I DO the right thing. More and more laws, more and more work, worse and worse economy, less and less money, and smaller and smaller HR. THANKS SO MUCH. I take pride in what I do… but all this is demoralizing. Bottom line. Sorry.
March 9th, 2009 at 8:46 am
Let’s not let “amount of work” comments get us off track here. Wayne’s erudite comments (see above) should scare the willies out of everyone. The very idea of losing the right to the secret ballot in this country is not only frightening but flys in the very face of what this country holds dear. Think about it folks! The Free Choice Act (EFCA) was introduced by liberalism and socialism itself, Ted Kennedy, and co-sponsored by Obama and Biden two years ago. This isn’t new although many Americans are just now hearing about it. I daresay that many HR professionals do not work in an environment in which the word “union” has been an issue. This is all the more reason to wake up and become informed not only as an HR employee but as an American citizen. Stop EFCA in any way you know how! Inform your family and friends!
March 9th, 2009 at 8:52 am
Kudo’s to Wayne and to Mina Chan as I too work in a great company…finally after leaving a unionized one. Among the HR circles in Michigan even they have enough sense to realize the negative impact Obama’s policies will have on business. I worked amidst a few different union environments for years and saw blatant fraud, deception and scamming in each company. FMLA deception of union employees who took incredible time off for “migraine headaches” and ailments that led to uncovering a doctor who for a fee loved to back any union employee with a script and then a scam that had doctors script pads circulating the “floor” only to have the union reps say “PROVE IT!” tells why we need to rethink expanding such acts. I am all for doing the right things for the right reasons and have since left the union “realm” and entered into a company that not only practices this but is non unionized, very profitable and a JOY TO WORK FOR. But instead of paying union representatives $100,000+ a year in salaries to file grievances that are often frivolous and I could write a book with examples, now the employees in this current non-union company, get bonuses. Instead of paying union representatives more than $1,000,000 in salaries, the employees reap the rewards of putting the money that would have been spent on salaries to those who are working together with management to create an atmosphere that in not antagonistic nor a resemblance of a war! But rather working together for the common good of the company. Ever wonder why union companies are not as profitable as non-unionized? Ever wonder before this economic crisis we never heard of lay-offs with Honda or Toyota. There are reasons for this! It’s called management and employees working together for the common good of a company and it can be done. Enough with more government laws.
March 9th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
The socialistic part of where this is going is beyond disturbing. I have read also where employees will be able to sign cards online. Right now there is campaigning primarily toward the Gen Y on facebook and myspace to promote unions. The democratic party is focusing on the generation who is not informed about the devistating consequences of something like EFCA and quite frankly the stimulis package and what is wrong with it. They have not seen the financial devistation that this is likely to cause. Many employees don’t understand what socialism is and the negative impact of having gov’t take over so much of our businesses, workforce, and frankly our lives.
March 10th, 2009 at 8:30 am
What I find beyond disturbing is the professionals on these sites that have no concept of typing skills, grammar or spelling. If anything disturbs me it is the Gen X and Gen Y people that have zero concept of punctuation, grammar or spelling and they are the ones who will be running our companies and our government. Hopefully with the grim economy and the loss of jobs these people will have someone proofread their resumes before they are sent out. Maybe this will help: omg u ppl need 2 get help on ur english skills b/c no1 is guna hire u if u dont.
April 7th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Tracy’s got it exactly right. I’ve expressed concerns in this forum before when the comments expressed are nothing but partisan–pitting one political party against the other. with no constructive ideas expressed, just anger and scare tactics. Let’s stop the talk about socialism, and encourage our representatives to offer other programs that could solve the problems we face.
I too believe in improving working conditions. My company’s employees don’t make a fortune, and they’re struggling to make ends meet, and the high cost of medical insurance is hurting all of us. Instead of criticizing, how about coming up with alternate plans that will benefit most Americans? What’s your Plan B to eliminate $1000+/month premiums for family coverage, even with a $2000 deductible? Or to help those ineligible for insurance due to pre-existing conditions, finally get decent coverage? Emergency rooms treat the symptoms, not the diseases themselves, so they’re not by themselves the solution to people without insurance.
Obama hopefully will find ways to help the average worker. Sure it’ll likely make more work for us in HR. But we’ll have workers who aren’t afraid of losing their homes, or who won’t avoid proper medical care due to its cost, as a result. Employees who come to work with less personal burdens are more productive.
July 13th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Tracy and Wendy should give up their jobs and become social workers. We have too many in HR who don’t understand economics and how business really works. The Obama Adminstration, during one of the worst economic environment ever, keeps proposal more and more burdensome legislation and regulations. It may be because he actually wants to turn us into France, where unemployment is always at least 10%, little gets done, but the workers depend on handouts from the government.
July 13th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
To David Palen,
A condescending attitude is neither necessary or productive. The Bush Administration left us with an economy in ruins, and Obama is blamed, after 6 months on the job, for not fixing it yet. I am not an economist, and I don’t pretend to be one. It’s not hard to identify a problem–I’m astounded by those who don’t believe there’s a healthcare crisis (because they’re personally not affected by it?)–and I invite ideas to help solve it.
The “Party of No” has nothing to say, nothing to offer, other than “that won’t work.” Offer alternate suggestions, and we’ll all listen. But no suggestions are forthcoming; instead, we now hear that the problems aren’t worth fixing because they’re self-inflicted! That’s absurd.
July 13th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
It doesn’t really matter why we are in a recession now Wendy. The point is Obama was elected to get us out of it and it is questionable whether he really cares about working, non-union America. Otherwise, why would he want energy costs to go ski high (cap and trade)? Why would he propose governement health care at a time when we can’t pay current bills? Why would you burden the business community with the threat of unions (EFCA)? The stimulus is simply to lock in more people into government programs. I am confident that this administration will be seen as Jimmy Carter II sooner or later. I am just doing my best to make sure people see it as soon as possible.
July 13th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Okay, so what ideas do you have to turn the economy around and get people working again? It’s okay to criticize policies, but you’d make a better argument if you have other ideas to offer. And it does matter why we are in a recession. Should we continue following failed policies? So there are lessons to be learned by avoiding what has not worked. After learning the lessons, then it’s time to come up with alternate ideas. How do you propose we pay our bills?
Do you honestly believe that Obama wants energy costs to increase?
Why would he propose a government alternative to private health care plans while we’re in this recession? Because the working class and now non-working class (due to layoffs) who are in a crisis mode are looking to him to fulfill a campaign promise. And it is a crisis, because more and more Americans have no health care coverage, which will result in denial of treatment (other than absolute emergencies) or more bankruptcies once the providers send the bills to collections. And they will, and they do. Try paying off a $15000 OP surgical bill when you have no insurance. How about having no insurance, while on unemployment? Do you know how little per week is mailed to the average claimant? Or how about having no insurance, and having exhausted unemployment benefits? But of course, I’ve heard arguments that these problems all could have been avoided by healthy eating, a healthy lifestyle, and exercise. In some cases, maybe so. But how does that perspective fix what we now have to deal with? We’re struggling to find answers, so a barrage of “that won’t work” responses is counter-productive. What do you believe will work to get us out of this?
August 11th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Obama needs to stand back and really look at what is on the table. Our country became the leading nation because of hard work and paying taxes. And also because of our freedome of choice. I am an esl teacher and love working with non English speaking students but their families need to be held accountable and become leagal citizens that pay taxes. Giving them social security when they have not paid into the system and are not actually legal citizens is not right. I have also heard nightmares about the health care system he is proposing (from people familiar with Canada’s system). I am really scared for future generations when I look at the debt and deficit. We all must contact those in control and demand appropriate action.
August 11th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Where did anyone get the idea that the Canadian system was to be mirrored here? It’s not. It’s been used as an example of the pros and cons of a government-run healthcare system (as has the programs in other countries), but there’s been no word from the Administration that Canada’s system will be the model. Also, who from the Administration or Congress said that there’s a requirement that illegal immigrants will be accepted into the public option program?
There are so many stories out there without any facts behind them. That’s what’s scary. People have been led to believe there are death panels, selection boards, euthanization of our elderly and non-productive citizens, and Nazis designing the system (it boggles the mind how people can so readily believe what they hear from uneducated sources.)
Don’t listen to Pallin, or Limbaugh, or Dobbs. There are no facts or truth behind what they spew.
January 12th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
I just didn’t want to give “Wendy Obama” the last word on this post….LOL
January 12th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
And yet, Tom, you did just that (at least for the time being!)