What happens when the jerk in the office is the boss? Or you?

Recent very-high profile turnover at Fox News has lots of people thinking about working conditions where they earn their paychecks. That includes folks inside the federal government, the largest employer in the country.

We are talking about people in just about every corner. And because the government is so big, and so diverse (the DEA isn’t much like the EPA), it has more than its share of problems. Sometimes those problems — like sexual harassment —  exist, at times thrive, in federal agencies that are charged by law with making sure those of us in the private sector don’t do them.

Despite occasional exposure — high ranking Navy officers taking gifts, bribes and prostitutes, over-the-top parties or conferences on the taxpayers dime, abuse of government credit cards, instances of sexual harassment — they keep happening.

People know better (presumably) but keep on keeping on. Often times organizations and government agencies ignore problems or, if made aware of them, punish the whistleblower who may also be the victim. It has happened at crusading newspapers, hospitals, the police and in the military. Boys will be boys. Girls sometimes too.

While many have focused on allegations that powerful TV personalities and executives allegedly pressured women for sex, some of the organizations pointing at the bad guys at one network probably have similar problems in-house. Just maybe that the cast of characters aren’t as well-paid, powerful or good-looking at the living TV soap opera.

So what happens when working at your workplace isn’t working. What if you have a disruptive or disrespectful colleague? What if the office Romeo (or sometimes female equivalent) is the boss? What do you do?

Start off by listening to today’s Your Turn radio show at 10 a.m. EDT streaming on Federal News Radio or 1500 AM in the metro Washington area. Our guest today is Stephen M. Paskoff, a former investigator and trial attorney with the EEOC.

He’s the founder and CEO of Employment Learning Innovations Inc., in Atlanta. His recent book “Civility Rules” deals with uncivil (to downright dirty and illegal) practices in the workplace ranging from hospitals (some of those surgeon jokes apparently are true!) to corporations and the government.

If you have questions or comments for him, shoot them to me before the show at : mcausey@federalnewsradio.com.

Or you can call in during the show. The program will be archived so you can listen again, listen later or tell a friend. If you work some place where everything is perfect every day let us know for sure: That is news!

Nearly Useless Factoid

By Michael O’Connell

Film director Stanley Kubrick was a big admirer of Steve Martin’s movie The Jerk.

Source:  IMDB

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