There are some stories that even I won’t cover, and the New Jersey one about a woman who was allegedly fired for being too hot was one of them.
The story was an obvious click-generating troll, and besides offering nothing for the staffing industry it brought out a lot of mean comments from men commenting on the woman’s looks.
So I was astounded to get in my email this morning a notice (the image above) about it from the American Staffing Association (ASA). The association as I’ve known them has always taken the high road on things. It’s a place where leaders in our industry set aside their individual goals in the pursuit of a greater good.
Including the “too hot” story” in an ASA publication in my opinion was not too hot of an idea.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Gregg–
Thanks for reading ASA’s Staffing Today, but you’re reading too much into–and sensationalizing–what motivates our news coverage. Our motivation is simple: We have an obligation to inform our members about staffing in the news, regardless of whether it’s good news, bad news, or sensational news. In this case, a celebrity lawyer holds a news conference that gets covered by CBS, Fox, and Reuters national news feeds and results in local stories all over the country. We believe our members would prefer a “heads up” from ASA so they are prepared to discuss with clients should the topic arise. We believe it would have been a disservice to our members had we ignored the story. Nonetheless, we welcome reader feedback so that we can continuously improve our news coverage. Looking forward to seeing you (and a couple of thousand of our colleages) at Staffing World(R) 2012 in Las Vegas.
Steve Berchem
Chief Operating Officer
American Staffing Association
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I believe there are quite a few staffing lessons to be learned from
this story. The ultimate take away for staffing companies I would
think would be document, document, document! Fired for being too hot?
OR fired for thinking you’re too hot and dressing like you’re going
clubbing even after multiple counsels on professional attire? I put
this in the SNOTD yesterday. Why? Any temporary associate can say that
they were let go for any number of reasons – too fat, too skinny, too
hot, too ugly, too devout, etc. You have to know how to combat such
potential business fiascoes. A “heads up” to think about how their
company would handle something like that is never a bad thing, imo.
Steve, for Staffing Talk readers, what will Staffing World 2012 be
offering to the staffing industry that it hasn’t in the past? What
advice would you give someone who has never attended?
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Good questions for Steve on Staffing World, Amanda, but I disagree entirely that a story sensationalized by the national media and further sullied by a slew of demeaning online comments can make for good case material in defining the many shades of grey between that lie between effective HR policies and harassment.
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As the ASA director of meetings and events, I’ve been asked to answer the query about Staffing World® 2012. This year’s ASA convention features highly acclaimed author and business strategist Jim Collins, who will discuss his new bestseller, Great by Choice, and how staffing firms can thrive in these unpredictable, tumultuous, and fast-moving times. Also, new this year are Section Forums, which provide opportunities for sector-specific networking. And anyone new to Staffing World should map out their expo journey to maximize their time with the more than 100 suppliers who will be showcasing their staffing-specific products and services. For more information about this year’s convention, go to http://www.staffingworld.org. As always, anyone should feel free to contact us with questions.
Lisa Simpson
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Thanks Lisa!
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The story deserved no attention from serious news organizations and offers no discernible lessons for human resource professionals. It was wrong for you engage in the sensationalism and give yet more attention to prurient trolls. Let’s get back on message as an industry.
Yes, Staffing World 2012 looks to be a great opportunity to lead not just our nation but the world on reversing the poisonous class warfare our current administration is engaging in and further develop the importance of a fluid labor force in real job creation.
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