by Race in the Workplace special correspondent Erica

Which Federal Agencies Fail at Diversity? EEOC Tells All - DiversityInc
“Federal law requires ‘each agency shall maintain a continuing affirmative program to promote equal opportunity and to identify and eliminate discriminatory practices and policies,’ reports the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), but according to the agency’s latest report, that doesn’t appear to be happening. People of color represented a third of the federal work force in 2006, which is on par with U.S. demographics…. Their representation at the management level, however, tells another story.”

Get Ready for Update Your Resume Week - The Monster Blog
I suspect this is a “Hallmark Holiday” of sorts, but it never hurts to have your resume updated.

Racial Harassment - The Black Factor
“[T]he EEOC says: There are two requirements for race-based conduct to trigger potential liability for unlawful harassment: (1) the conduct must be unwelcome; and (2) the conduct must be sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the terms and conditions of employment in the mind of the victim and from the perspective of a reasonable person in the victim’s position. At this point, the harassing conduct ‘offends Title VII’s broad rule of workplace equality.’”

Firefighters File Sexual Harassment Claims Over Being Forced to Attend Gay Pride Parade - Workplace Prof Blog
“As far as whether the lawsuit has a chance, there are a number of problems, ranging from the fact that the one incident might not be considered severe or pervasive enough to the issue of whether a reasonable person would have found the conduct created a hostile work environment.”

Fall preview: Giving Notice by Freada Kapor Klein - 800-CEO-READ Blog
Brief overview of Giving Notice: Why the Best and the Brightest Leave the Workplace and HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM STAY. It includes some statistics from the press release on the factors different groups (e.g., people of color, gays and lesbians, caucasian women, caucasian men) state could have made them stay in jobs they had left.

Corporate America: The New Gay Activists - The Huffington Post
“Charting a course unplanned but nevertheless successful, Corporate America is shaping up to be the most persuasive gay activists of the decade. How are they doing it? With a simple three-step formula: credibility + education + action.”

Recommended Reading is a weekly feature where we link to some of our favorite workplace-related blog posts and articles. If you would like to suggest a link to Erica, please email tips@raceintheworkplace.com