FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A TULSA COMPANY IS ELIMINATING JERKS/STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE

TULSA, OKLA. (June 2009) — As Road Science, LLC™ embarks on its new beginning in the road paving industry, the company has become an early adopter of the “Jerk-Free Workplace” with the help of The People Group, LLC, a Tulsa company specializing in positive people practices consulting. Adopting this policy adds Road Science to a short list of only 15 companies in the United States, and the first in Tulsa, who have made a commitment to establishing a jerk-free and bully-free work environment.

According to the employee experience brochure, “Road Science is committed to providing all Team Members a healthy and safe work environment,” and labels bullish behavior as “unacceptable, because it breaches principles of equality and fairness.” Kevin Kennemer, founder and partner of The People Group, holds a passionate view on the importance of operating a workplace free of incivility and bullying. Kennemer said, “jerks can be high performers, but create problems. By Road Science adopting an intolerance to bullying, it will prevent harmful workplace issues, and allow the company to provide, undoubtedly, the best work environment in Tulsa.”

In addition to providing a positive work environment, The People Group and Road Science hope to prevent health-harming issues that are a product of continuous psychological mistreatment and result from being subjected to bullying. Stress-related illnesses can cause employees to withdraw from their peers, friends and family, and can also cause performance on the job to suffer, ultimately, leading to a negative impact on the entire organization.

Brian Majeska, Chief Operating Officer at Road Science, commented, “our management team believes that extraordinary businesses care about three people: the teammate, the customer, the owner. Today, one of our primary focuses is the teammate; each other. Any success we achieve in the future will be based on the environment we are creating today; an ethical environment of trust, belief, collaboration and innovation.

Through this partnership, The People Group is able to provide positive people practice strategies to Road Science in order to attract and retain the best talent through innovative compensation and benefits, as well as a revolutionary, healthy and attractive work environment.

For more information about enacting a Jerk-Free and Bully-Free work environment, please contact The People Group at 888.797.9992.

Road Science, LLC is the leading technology company for the road paving industry. The company focuses on developing long-term business relationships with contractors, manufacturers and agencies. With a team of nearly 100 professionals, Road Science specializes in differentiated products and services for contractors and asphalt manufacturers, as well as assists agencies in creating greater value by protecting and re-using pavements.

www.roadsciencellc.com

The People Group, LLC was founded on the premise that positive people practices are primarily the missing component of average performing companies. Founder Kevin Kennemer, a Tulsa, Okla., native, has twenty years of valuable people practices experience and was formerly the chief human resource officer of an international energy company that rose from obscurity to #5 on Forbes list of largest privately help companies, and was known for their great work environment.

www.thepeoplegroupllc.com

Media Contacts:

Amy Chiconas
Road Science, LLC
Office 918.524.7100
achiconas@roadsciencellc.com

Kevin Kennemer
The People Group, LLC
Office 888.797.9992
kevin@thepeoplegroupllc.com

How does an employee prevent leaving one toxic work environment only to take a position inside another toxic culture?  There was an interesting column recently in J.T. & Dale’s Talk Jobs column that addressed this very issue.  The question was asked how to avoid taking a job in a toxic work environment.

The wise words of wisdom from the authors was this: “Rather than look for a different industry, your best hope is to find an organization whose culture is aligned with yours.”

They further stated, “the best way to do that is to interview an employer as much as he or she interviews you.”

There are good leaders out there who want to create rewarding work environments and that don’t send employees home at night confused, deflated, depressed and anxious.  Just as good employers perform their due diligence on new employees, those in the job market need to decide what is important to them.  What are your work environment non-negotiables?  Develop some questions around those requirements to ask your potential boss.

Below are a few questions to consider asking at your next interview?

• Are employees allowed to take risks and develop innovative solutions on the job? If yes, what is a recent example of employee-led risk taking or innovation?
• What happens to a good employee who makes an honest mistake?
• When there are openings in the company does the leadership look to fill those spots from the inside first?  Who are some people who have recently been promoted?
• Is this company’s leadership flexible with the work/life demands of employees?  What are some examples of current flexible work arrangements?
• Do company leaders provide telecommuting options to get work done?
• Does this company prevent workplace bullying?

ATTENTION A**HOLE BOSSES!
Sid Citrus launches campaign to be crowned your King.

Orange Rebel Productions today announced the launch of a new comedy web series, Sid Citrus: A**hole Boss, in partnership with inaugural corporate sponsor, The People Group. “Sid’s goal in life is to be universally acclaimed by his peers as the King of all corporate assholes. Sid Citrus already stands head and shoulders above every other jerk boss out there,” laughs writer-director Fred Emmer. “Or rather I should say, he floats.” Sid Citrus is an orange. A floating, philandering orange to be exact, who wears a tie, including Saturdays. And he’s not very nice.

“I laughed my head off when Fred gave me the script. I immediately knew we had to get this made,” recalls workplace consultant Kevin Kennemer, principal of The People Group. “That Sid Citrus, what an absolutely amazing jerk!” The first three webisodes tell story of how rookie cube dweller Brett comes to realize that his floating orange boss is a bully and an a**hole and that standing up to him can lead to lethal consequences, literally. “Of course Sid as a character and the story events are beyond farcical,” says Emmer. “But we actually are trying to say something.”

“The issues are real and I deal with them every day,” adds Kennemer, whose consulting practice specializes in helping corporations put people friendly practices in place. “Incivility in the workplace creates huge costs no company can afford to ignore. The effects of psychological mistreatment on
the workforce is brutal and allowing it to go on is immoral. I think Sid Citrus makes the point with humor.”

Fred explains Sid Citrus’s origin. “A friend of mine had recommended Kevin’s blog to me and after reading a few posts I couldn’t believe how candid he was in condemning a**hole behavior in the workplace,” said Emmer. “It hit me viscerally and I was thinking about his post as I strolled to the fruit bowl in the break room. Someone had left a Sharpe marker by the bowl. Two minutes later, Sid Citrus was born,” stated the writer-director from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

One school of thought is that every organization should have one a**hole. That might be okay if the asshole is kept around so their behavior can be used as a bad example, and if they are not too high in the organization. Kind of like an object lesson in a**holeology. But most organizations aren’t
that sophisticated. Inevitably corporate a**holes wind up breeding like rabbits, eventually poisoning the entire organization.

“I’ve already heard it from my wife, don’t be a Sid,” says Emmer. “He’s not even real and he’s already helping me put a check on my own behavior. I hope we can spread this around,” states Emmer. “Don’t be a Sid.” Sid Citrus: A**hole Boss can be viewed at: www.youtube.com/sidcitrus and at www.SidCitrus.Com.

About Orange Rebel Productions
Orange Rebel Productions is a Tulsa based media production company specializing in viral
video production for the web.

About The People Group
The People Group is a Tulsa based consulting firm committed to improving employee lives,
business performance and society through positive people practices consulting. The company
was founded on the premise that positive people practices result in better organizations.
The People Group proved that a leadership team that adopts, models and promotes positive
people practices benefits business, for people, for customers and society.

Kevin Kennemer, The People Group founding partner, provides a short article on A Word About the Term A**hole.

Media Contacts

Fred Emmer | Writer-Producer | Orange Rebel Productions | 918.519.6206 | sidcitrus@gmail.com

Kevin Kennemer | Founder & Partner | The People Group | 1.888.797.9992 | kevin@thepeoplegroupllc.com

Throughout my life I have chosen not to engage in the use of profanity. It stems from my devoted faith in God and respect for others taught to me by my parents.  However, in our YouTube movie series, Sid Citrus: A**hole Boss, we have purposefully adopted the term.  There is no other term that properly grabs the attention and isolates the severity of the psychopathic actions of the highly toxic and abusive manager.

Although I am not completely comfortable with the use of the term in our movies and in my writings, I am even more uncomfortable with the terribly costly psychological abuse occurring every day at the hands of corporate assholes, a.k.a., jerks and bullies.

According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, prolonged exposure to workplace psychological abuse leads to debilitating anxiety, panic attacks, clinical depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), gastrointestinal diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes and even suicide.  The affects of long-term psychological abuse in the workplace can set-off a tidal wave of physical and mental health conditions that can forever alter the target of the corporate a**hole’s wrath.  Bottom line, the unchecked, health-harming treatment that continues with the complicit approval of company leaders is more offensive to me than the term, a**hole.

We understand there is a certain amount of resistance to the term.  Realistically, when the word is used in a movie it would, at worst, provoke a PG rating.

The more important issue is not the term but our unified actions to eliminate such health-harming behavior against targets all across American workplaces.

To learn more about the high cost of these workplace deviants, read Stanford Professor Robert Sutton’s book, “The No A**hole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t” and Workplace Bullying Institute Founder Dr. Gary Namie’s book, “The Bully at Work.”

Working diligently and faithfully to create a civilized workplace.

Respectfully,

Kevin Kennemer
Founder & Partner
The People Group
Certified Great Workplace

Workplace bullying is a very real problem. People like you and me deal with the brutal effects of psychological mistreatment every day.  Someone recently asked the following, very important question. It is important to share the question and my answer to TPG Blog readers.

Question

I have some questions on workplace bullying.  From the websites and advice given by many advocates, the victim is told to leave his/her job if things don’t improve. Why?  It would seem there is an inequity here.  The victim is punished financially for being victimized by his/her coworker. What legislation has been introduced (and not passed) that protects a victim’s rights?

Answer

Dear Friend, thank you for your questions. Allow me to respond based on my actual experiences and research.

Bullying is Legal: It is perfectly legal to bully employees in the United States as long as it is not racial or sexual based discrimination.  It is not illegal to be a jerk in the office.  In fact, in some business environments, tyrants tend to be rewarded for their behavior although it has been proven their behavior is destructive, not productive.

What should I do? One might think going to Human Resources would help you resolve the problem.  In most cases the bully has political power and influence and Human Resources has overwhelming sided with bullies and management, rather than the target of abuse.  HR will likely turn their back on targets unless the abuse is tied to illegal discrimination.

Why should I consider resigning? The long-term effects on bullying targets are treacherous.  Anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, gastrointestinal disease, headaches, autoimmune diseases, and the list goes on.  In addition, the target can have a difficult time working a full-time job after prolonged exposure to the psychological mistreatment at work.  Many times the best thing for the employee is to put themselves first and resign.

Confronting the bully: No doubt the target should confront the bully before resigning from their position.  It helps to bring someone with you during the confrontation.  You need to tell the bully you will not stand for further behavior that is unacceptable.  If the bully tries to attack you verbally, simply walk away and tell them you do not have to be subjected to this behavior.  If he/she stops future bullying, that is great.  If not, you probably should find another job if you can.

Resources: Besides the resources on my website, I highly recommend you read the book, “The Bully at Work” by Dr. Gary Namie, a good friend and absolute expert on the topic.  His website is also full of useful information.  http://bullyinginstitute.org

Legislation: The Workplace Bullying Institute keeps track of this information.  There are currently 12 states that have introduced legislation to prevent workplace bullying.  http://workplacebullyinglaw.org

Mrs. Searcy, my eighth grade social studies teacher, was really mad at me.  The Madison Junior High School teacher was lecturing about writing on our desks, a significant problem at the time. Because students were writing on their desks, she was laying down the law.  I suppose the offense was right up there with cutting class, loitering in the halls and smoking in the bathroom. It was the 1970’s.

In response to her Do Not Write on the Desk lecture, I took my pencil and wrote on my desk, “Do not write on this desk!” - about 25 times.  I was just being funny.  However, when Mrs. Searcy strolled down my aisle she didn’t see the humor in my message.

Since I apparently enjoyed writing that phrase, Mrs. Searcy proceeded to assign homework as an object lesson.  That evening I was required to write “Do not write on this desk” 500 times and return the assignment the next day.  My writing hand felt like an out of shape and overweight middle aged man trying to play football: cramped, injured and lifeless.  I wrote that phrase 500 excruciating times while watching the Six Million Dollar Man and Charlie’s Angels.

Moral of the Story

What’s the moral of this story? When you focus on telling people what they can’t do, be prepared for the results: One or more individuals just might try it.

When human resource professionals develop policy manuals, the tendency is to focus on the negatives; what not to do. The human response is to test boundaries.  I have found discussing the positives of employment rather than the negatives to be much more effective in creating a great working environment.

Galveston’s Flagship Hotel

Consider the case of the Flagship Hotel in Galveston, Texas.  This pier based hotel, constructed in the 1960’s, stretches 1,000 feet out to sea, capturing a panoramic view.  Since the balconies were directly above the ocean, management decided to place signs in the room stating, “Do Not Fish on Balcony.”

When the hotel was completed and ready to open, guess what started to happen?  Guests began to fish off their balconies.  Hotel guests would tie large lead weights to their fishing line to reach the ocean floor several stories below.  Some guests would cast their line and miss the ocean altogether and the line would swing back towards the hotel, along with the heavy lead weights.  Unfortunately, there were large picture windows on the first floor dining room and hotel management had to replace a number of broken windows. The crashing sound of windows breaking was a common occurrence to dining room guests.

The Solution

After evaluating their predicament, management wisely decided to remove all the “Do not fish on balcony” signs. This immediately resolved the problem of guests fishing on the balcony.  It turns out guests did not even think about fishing until they read the sign.

When developing or updating your company policies, consider this lesson.  Develop policies from a positive perspective and see if your negative workplace issues are self-induced.

Are you dealing with a bully at work? You are not alone. More than 37 percent of workers are also in the same situation.

One of the most effective actions you can take is to call out the bully.  Once you look at the reality of the situation, it allows you to identify and properly name the mistreatment occurring at work.  Work should not hurt.  Name it and confront it.

Your inclination will be to tough it out, think you are the problem and try to perform your way out of the bullying situation. However, workplace psychopaths don’t play by the rules.  Long-term exposure to bullying is harmful to your health and typically leads to anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and a host of other medical issues.  Unfortunately, bullying is legal in the United States.

The following BNET video is a terrific resource to help you understand the importance of acknowledging the situation.

Video: Calling a Bully a Bully

Supervisors who freak-out when employees use the Internet at work for non-work reasons should breathe a little easier.  A new study published by the University of Melbourne, Australia, shows employees who engage in WILB (workplace internet leisure browsing) are 9% more productive than their non-surfing counterparts.

The research study’s media release identifies that employees need time to periodically zone-out in order to allow their mind to return to a higher level of concentration.  Leisurely surfing activities, in moderation of course, allows workers to be more productive.  All of us need to get away from our desk, walk around, and take a break.  Evidently, our mind needs time to play as well.

“Firms spend millions on software to block their employees from watching videos on YouTube, using social networking sites like Facebook or shopping online under the pretense that it costs millions in lost productivity, however that’s not always the case,” said Dr. Brent Coker, from the University’s Department of Management and Marketing.

According to an article published on Wired.com, the research has turned viral and is spreading across offices worldwide due to employee interest.

If this research proves to be correct (and I have my doubts), it should further motivate leaders to consider becoming more flexible with sites like Facebook and Twitter, restricted web addresses for many corporate employees.

Flexibility with technological usage, telecommuting, and other  workplace productivity issues, need to be revisited in many organizations to encourage a more results-only work environment based on trust and respect.  The technological workplace is changing and a great number of managers need to adapt their leadership skills to promote optimum productivity.  Socializing in moderation, whether it’s in the hallway or the information superhighway, should rule the day.

Maybe all work and no play really does make for a dull employee.

Tulsa, OK, April 2, 2009 –Tulsa’s Top Talent is a networking support group that will provide information and address questions for those seeking employment. This encounter is designed for displaced professional, management, and executive professionals.

The second gathering is scheduled for Thursday, April 9, 2009 from 8:30 am to 10:30 am at the Training Center of Tulsa Technology Center’s, Lemley Campus, located at 3638 South Memorial.

Kevin Kennemer, the founder and president of The People Group, will be discussing using social
networking and networking tools such as LinkedIn®, facebook®, twitter® in a successful job search.

If you have any questions, my contact information is listed below. Please help spread the word about
Tulsa’s Top Talent.

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 led to the creation of the Tulsa Area Workforce Investment Board (Workforce Tulsa). Workforce Tulsa has the legislative charter to create workforce development policy, oversee the workforce development system, coordinate workforce development resources and convene workforce development partners for its local region, including Tulsa, Pawnee, Creek and Osage counties.

For additional information, please contact Chad Bowers at (918)796-1282.

Read Press Release

These signs are from “You know you’re being bullied when…” by Dr. Gary Namie, Workplace Doctor and Founder of the Workplace Bullying Institute.  We are incredibly grateful for the exceptional work of Dr. Namie worldwide.

1. You attempt the obviously impossible task of doing a new job without training or time to learn new skills but that work is never good enough for the boss.

2. Surprise meetings are called by your boss with no results other than further humiliation.

3. Everything your tormenter does to you is arbitrary and capricious, working a personal agenda that undermines the employer’s legitimate business interests.

4. Others at work have been told to stop working, talking or socializing with you.

5. You constantly feel agitated and anxious, experiencing a sense of doom, waiting for bad things to happen.

6. No matter what you do, you are never left alone to do your job without interference.

7. People feel justified screaming or yelling at you in front of others, but you are punished if you scream back.

8. HR tells you that your harassment isn’t illegal, that you have to “work it out between yourselves.”

9. You finally, firmly confront your tormentor to stop the abusive conduct, you are accused of harassment.

10. You are shocked when accused of incompetence despite a history of objective excellence, typically by someone who cannot do your job.

11. Everyone — co-workers, senior bosses, HR — agrees (in person and orally) that your tormentor is a jerk, but there is nothing they will do about it (and deny saying what they said later when asked to support you).

12. Your request to transfer to an open position under another boss is mysteriously denied.

Written by Dr. Gary Namie, Founder, Workplace Bullying Institute.