by Race in the Workplace special correspondent Erica Mauter

2007 Outie Awards - Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
“The Out & Equal Workplace Awards (commonly referred to as “The Outies”) honor individuals and organizations that are leaders in advancing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees in America’s workplaces. Through these awards, Out & Equal provides the business and LGBT communities with examples of innovative approaches and proven successes to help create safe and equitable workplaces.” (via DiversityInc)

“Flex work is not the answer” - TIME’s Work in Progress
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen on Deloitte & Touche vice chairman Cathleen Benko and her new book Mass Career Customization: Aligning the Workplace with Today’s Nontraditional Workforce. “Her point isn’t that workers don’t need more flexible schedules. We want them, we need them, we’re already demanding if not taking them. What she means is that employers must stop thinking of flex work as an accommodation but as a matter of course.”

Respecting Ramadan at Work: Who’s Walking the Talk? - DiversityInc
“Microsoft, IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ford Motor Co. are among leading employers providing flexible hours during the month of Ramadan to accommodate their fasting employees, along with floating holidays and diversity calendars that flag major cultural and religious celebrations.”

Is valley tougher for African-Americans? - San Jose Mercury News
“Some black engineers, executives and managers at Silicon Valley tech companies say that while their numbers have never been large, the dwindling population can add to a feeling of isolation, both in and outside the office… ‘You are happy to see another African-American when you see them because it’s so rare,’ said Pamela Jackson, director of product marketing for Symantec, the Cupertino software maker that is headed by one of the most prominent black chief executives in the valley, John Thompson. ‘But you become very accustomed to being the only one in a meeting. It doesn’t mean you ever like it, or anything like that.’” (via George Kelly)

Beware the Ultra-Nice Boss: A passive boss can wreak just as much havoc in the workplace as a bullying one. - Portfolio.com Careers
“Bruce Tulgan, a consultant, trainer, and author of It’s Okay to Be the Boss, calls undermanagement ‘an epidemic’ and finds many managers intimidated by a culture of political correctness, red tape, and potential lawsuits. He sees nonconfrontational leaders who want to be everyone’s friend as responsible for more workplace mistakes than those supervised by a harsh taskmaster.”

Is the American workplace hostile to singles? - TIME’s Work in Progress
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen addresses HR Magazine’s October cover story, “Are You Too Family-Friendly?” As a single person, I was a bit put off my previous employer’s extremely family friendly policies. It’s great for an employer to appreciate that you have other things in life you need to take care of, but I often felt like folks with kids were afforded more benefits than I was. For example, on a business trip that was unexpectedly extended the married-with-kids folks I was traveling with all got to return home for the weekend, but my boss made me stay even though I had commitments at home I really needed to attend to. And then there’s this: “A 2006 study by The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at the University of California-Los Angeles Law School found that 20% of same-sex domestic partners were uninsured, compared to 10% of married, heterosexual partners. But get this: a third of heterosexual, unmarried partners lacked health insurance.” See also: Deb Owen at 8 Hours & a Lunch.

Just Saying No to Newsletters - Liz Ryan at BusinessWeek
“Here’s how to keep your e-mail address off someone’s fan club list—without alienating business contacts.”

Bit*ches in the Workplace - The Black Factor
“I’ve never been called a ‘bitch’ by a man or woman at work. But, I don’t imagine a scenario where I would tolerate either a man or a woman making that comment. Those are fighting words. If a conversation degenerates to name-calling…it works both ways.”

Weiss on Transgender Workplace Diversity - Workplace Prof Blog
Jillian Weiss has just published the book Transgender Workplace Diversity: Policy Tools, Training Issues and Communication Strategies for HR and Legal Professionals. “It is targeted to the needs of employers who are facing transgender issues and want an accessible resource for creating transgender-friendly policies, training management and co-workers, and providing effective communications with clients and customers working with transgender employees. It provides organizational leaders with a roadmap and detailed explanations. It is also useful for transgender employees who want to get their employers on the right track with authoritative information targeted to the modern workplace.” Jillian Weiss also blogs on Transgender Workplace Diversity.

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 [email protected]