by Race in the Workplace special correspondent Erica Mauter

Party Liabilities - Portfolio.com
“While there are no statistics that measure how many lawsuits and complaints arise from holiday parties, lawyers say the numbers are increasing, along with the number of workplace-harassment and discrimination suits in general.”

Apparently religion doesn’t mean ethics - Leadership Turn
Reflecting on the 2007 National Business Ethics Survey, Miki Saxon concludes, “[T]he same people who identify themselves as Christians/religious and the ones who take the Bible literally are the same people who are either violating the ethical standards or not reporting the violators.”

Lovaglia’s Law and Open Office Plans - Bob Sutton
“Lovaglia’s Law: The more important the outcome of a decision, the more people will resist using evidence to make it…. [P]eople in open settings are found to be less satisfied, less productive, and experience more stress than people who work in closed offices… Yet, as Lovaglia’s Law predicts, many administrators and building designers seem to be have a hard time “hearing” such evidence and keep pushing for open office designs – they prefer to talk about selected anecdotes instead.”

Developing Your Adversity Muscle - On the Job
“Whether or not you caused a problem doesn’t matter as much as whether you’re willing to step up to the plate and try to deal with it. Making yourself a victim won’t help, but taking ownership and finding a solution will develop your ability to deal with adversity — and that’s something that bosses value.”

Changing the way we see disability - Workers Comp Insider
“[W]ithout an active recovery, depression and disability syndrome can often occur. For most people, income, identity and feelings of self-worth are tied to work and productivity. Today, most employers understand that helping injured workers get back to their normal lives, including work, is an important part of recovery.”

How to Resign Your Job - MarketingHeadhunter.com
“[Y]ou can expect the reference checking questions to be a regular kiss and tell. Therefore, it’s absolutely essential that you maintain the highest level of professionalism before, during, and after your resignation — because you will ALWAYS be expected to use your current employer as a reference.”

how to get hired if you’re under-qualified - Ask a Manager
“In your cover letter, acknowledge that you don’t have every qualification they’re looking for, and explain how you’ll make up for it… Acknowledging it is good because (a) it shows you paid attention to the ad — something most people don’t do — and indicates an attention to detail that hiring managers love to see and (b) it shows that you’re not one of those insanely overconfident candidates with no humility or sense of your own weaknesses.”

Dilbert Has a Tattoo: The Rise of Individuality at Work - Businesspundit
“[I]n exchange for the devotion to work, employees want their jobs and their workplace to match their sense of self… With choice, personal expression, and individual fulfillment at all-time high, companies are doing everything from revisiting their ban on tattoos… to adding the “expression of gender identity” - one’s inner sense of being male or female - to the list of things they won’t discriminate against…”

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