From the Blog, Minding the Workplace, hosted by David Yamada comes a posting discussing the increasing use of the phrase, “disgruntled employee,” in legal opinions. The use of the term is not an indicator of an unbiased judiciary. I worked in a factory as a much younger man. There was plenty to be upset about and describing me as a disgruntled employee would certainly have cheapened what I experiencee from gross unfairness on the part of my employer to the exaggerated feelings of an emotional worker. The facts of a case are the facts of the case. The use of such a term indicates more a preference for the sanctity of an economic class as opposed to a fair analysis of the circumstances of the case.

(David Yamada refers to the law professor Charles Sullivan in the article. Professor Sullivan’s blog is Workplace Prof Blog.)

The Ethics Resource Center has a new study on employee engagement. The Ethics Resource Center identifies itself as the oldest nonprofit organization devoted to high ethical standards in public and private institutions.

From the report : “The recent recession was a jarring reminder that efficiency and effectiveness are essential
to the survival of any organization and that employee engagement—the commitment employees feel toward their employing organization—is a critical part of the equation.”

One of the more interesting conclusions of the study was that employees who observed wrongdoing were less likely to be highly engaged employees (committed, dedicated workers). Many reports of this type are virtually impenetrable to the casual reader. This one is not.

Transparency International (The Global Coalition Against Corruption) in its corruption news section cites a Wall Street Journal report that an Italian oil and gas firm has been fined by the Securities and Exchange Commission $365 million for bribing Nigerian officials. This reference is one of dozens that are timely reports of international wrongdoing usually by corporations. It’s an excellent resource if you want to keep up with international corporate crime.

There are a good number of other moral advocacy groups on the web. I have several more listed that I read but they don’t do weekly or sometimes even monthly articles. Your suggestions are most welcome.

James Pilant