Numbers everywhere
Numbers everywhere

As I noted on Friday, the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights & Opportunities has, at long last, released case statistics for 2014-2015 fiscal year and has updated their statistics for the last several years.

As a result, there are lots of new numbers to pore over and information

The CHRO is screaming for a reboot - like Star Trek
The CHRO Complaint Process is screaming for a reboot – like Star Trek

Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of complaints about the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights & Opportunities from both attorneys and clients. And I’ve come to one conclusion:

The CHRO Complaint Procedure needs a reboot.

Now, before you dismiss this as a critical column – let’s be clear. I like many reboots.  Sure, the Superman Returns movie paled in comparison to the Christopher Reeve version, but I thought the new Star Trek reboot was pretty snazzy.

Why do movies go through reboots? Because the formula that had worked for the movie series for so long has just stopped working.

Think George Clooney in Batman & Robin and then the reboot with Christian Bale.

And right now, the process that the CHRO has created is just not working. It’s not working for individuals, it’s not working for companies and, I believe, it’s not really working well for the agency itself.  (And note too that I’m not suggesting the agency itself needs a reboot — though some have argued for that — rather, it’s the process as mandated by the law that this post is addressing.)

A reboot doesn’t mean failure; it doesn’t mean to throw out the entire formula. The agency has made some good strides on public outreach, for example, under the new leadership team.  It is closing cases at a good clip and the mediation process seems better than in years past with dedicated staff just for mediations.

And I wouldn’t go so far as to say we live in a post-modern age where it has completely outlived its usefulness.

But the complaint procedure which was reworked a few years ago just isn’t working for anyone. Here’s why:Continue Reading The CHRO Complaint Process Needs A Reboot

trviaI recently was invited the join the “Learned League”, which has been described by the Washington Post as the “coolest, weirdest Internet community you’ll never be able to join.”

Needless to say, now that I’m participating in it, I’m wondering if I’m either cool or weird or both.

The league is a hodge-podge of various people who answer six trivia questions a day for a five week period during various contests.  No money is involved (think: pride not prize) but the competition includes people like Ken Jennings, who is the all-time champion on Jeopardy.

The biggest rule is “no cheating” — in other words, don’t Google the questions. It’s a bit addicting, so in the spirit of the contest, I thought I would provide you with six questions to answer.  Note that this is not multiple choice — rather it’s fill in the blank, which is oh so challenging.

1.  According to the EEOC Charge Statistics for Fiscal Year 2014, retaliation claims were the number one filed claim with the agency.  What protected class was number two?

2. One resource that is (or should be) often referred to by employers when addressing disability issues is nicknamed “JAN”.  What do the letters JAN stand for?

3. The federal Family & Medical Leave Act provides that eligible employees may take up to 12 work weeks of leave in a 12-month period for one or more of four separate reasons.  Two of the reasons are for: 1) the employee’s own serious health condition; and 2) tocare for a spouse, son, daughter, or parent who has a serious health condition.  Name one of the other two reasons?

4. In Connecticut, family violence victims who work at employers that have three or more employees, are entitled to time off for various reasons including seeking medical care or attending court.  How many days per calendar year is the employee entitled to?

5. In 1994, Michael Douglas and Demi Moore starred in a film that, among other claims to fame, brought issues of sexual harassment and “reverse” harassment to the public’s attention. Notably (?), Demi Moore was nominated as “Best Villain” for the MTV Movie Awards.    What was the name of the movie?

6.  The current minimum wage in Connecticut in $9.15 cents per hour.  What will the minimum wage in Connecticut be effective January 1, 2016? (And for a bonus point, what about January 1, 2017?)Continue Reading Trivia Time for HR Professionals – Six Questions of the Day

The Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities released a new set of statistics yesterday (my thanks to CHRO liaison James O’Neill for the update which I had requested a while back).  Unlike years past, the statistics this year show some dramatic changes; those changes should have a significant impact on how employers view the agency

After my post last week on discrimination statistics (and the lack thereof of CHRO statistics that were publicly available), the CHRO was kind enough to release some additional statistics to me that hadn’t been posted on its website and hadn’t been released publicly before.

My sincere thanks to CHRO Principal Attorney Charles Krich for the