Category Archives: retail

Workplace Bullying and the NLRB

Posted on June 6, 2014 by mavity2012

Workplace and school violence events have contributed to our increasing national conversation about “bullying.” Recently, NPR quoted a Zogby poll in which more than a quarter of American workers reported that they have experienced abusive conduct at work. 64% of … Continue reading →

Posted in attitude/culture, cultural changes, hospitality, public attacks, restaurants, retail, social media, union organizing, unions, Washington, workplace violence | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Have you Prepared For Third Party Embarassment Tactics?

Posted on May 30, 2014 by mavity2012

The areas of labor, employment, and safety exposure which present very real threats to the distribution industry. There are several reasons for this increased focus on these types of business: ■Distribution is a huge market for plaintiff lawyers who want … Continue reading →

Posted in auto industry, boycotts, class actions/systemic investigation, hospitality, manufacturing, public attacks, restaurants, retail, unions | Leave a comment

Union Calls For May 15 Fast Food Workers Strike In 26 Countries

Posted on May 9, 2014 by mavity2012

Fast food workers are difficult targets for union organizing efforts, but it’s simply too large a market for unions to ignore.  Moreover, the fast food industry is an easy target for demands for a “living wage” and attacks on the use … Continue reading →

Posted in concerted protected activity, hospitality, NLRB, OSHA, restaurants, retail, union organizing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Do You Know Your Store’s Most Common OSHA Violations?

Posted on February 8, 2014 by mavity2012

Most retail employers, even large companies with hundreds of branches, do not much worry about being inspected by OSHA; let alone cited.  It’s not that these employers are disinterested in their employees’ safety, it’s just that they have rarely experienced … Continue reading →

Posted in OSHA, repeat items, retail | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Customer Service and Workplace Safety

Posted on October 1, 2013 by mavity2012

I am writing this post as I sit on a bench in front of the Davidson, NC Homewood Suites.  As I sat working on documents, I struck up a conversation with an employee, who was emptying the trash and straightening … Continue reading →

Posted in attitude/culture, cultural changes, employee engagement, hospitality, management and leadership, retail, supervisor development | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

EEOC Loses (Again) On Criminal-Background Checks

Posted on September 5, 2013 by mavity2012

  EEOC Loses (Again) On Criminal-Background Checks Date: September 1, 2013 By Edward Harold (Retail Industry Update, No. 3, September 2013) Last year, we wrote about the EEOC’s then-new guidance on the use of criminal-background checks in hiring decisions. [“Using … Continue reading →

Posted in background checks/examinations, class actions/systemic investigation, EEOC, employer policies, hospitality, retail | Tagged | Leave a comment

The One OSHA Post Retailers Must Read.

Posted on September 4, 2013 by mavity2012

If you are in any aspect of retail and a member of LinkedIn, you really need to read the comments on this post on one of the OSHA and Safety sites, “Have You Checked Your Means of Egress lately? Dollar … Continue reading →

Posted in boycotts, hospitality, retail, safety programs, unions | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Compactors In Retail Settings Can Be Deadly.

Posted on July 15, 2013 by mavity2012

OSHA regularly cites retail employers for violations relating to their compactors and balers, many of which are old and ill-maintained.  I wish that we could say that deaths involving store contractors are rare, but that would not be true.  Please … Continue reading →

Posted in Cal-OSHA, repeat items, retail | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Why Do Some Establishments Deliver Such Fine Customer Service – And What Does This Have To Do With Safety?

Posted on June 11, 2013 by mavity2012

I’m on my 16 hour flight back from South Africa to Atlanta and processing my experiences.  Surely such a varied and unusual adventure will provide me with fodder for some philosophical musings which lead to my usual practical “Action Points” … Continue reading →

Posted in attitude/culture, employee engagement, hospitality, management and leadership, recruiting, retail, safety programs, union organizing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Worst Case Scenario – National Claims and a Painful Ergonomic Settlement

Posted on January 30, 2013 by mavity2012

This is a sobering Blog.  There are legitimate workplace safety concerns involving ergonomic issues in many industries, but how would you like to be on the receiving end of the attacks described below?  Let’ discuss the most recent development in … Continue reading →

Posted in aging workforce, concerted protected activity, cultural changes, employer policies, government inspections, hospitality, incentive plans, OSHA, retail, social media, union organizing, unions, wellness, workers comp | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment