BOYCOTT AMAZON? IT'S NOT AN EASY CHOICE

Original Story: latimes.com

There are plenty of examples of consumers flexing their economic muscle in response to what they see as businesses behaving badly.

Take the boycott of California grapes in the 1960s over mistreatment of farmworkers. Or the boycott of Chick-fil-A in 2012 over the fast-food chain's opposition to same-sex marriage.

So what, if anything, should be done about Amazon.com?

The world's largest e-tailer has been in hot water all week after the New York Times ran a front-page story about the company's employment practices. It included tales of workers being bullied, harassed and basically made to feel miserable. A Boston employment lawyer is reviewing the details of this case.

The enduring image from the story was that of Amazon staffers routinely breaking down in tears at their desks.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder and chief executive, didn't deny the allegations. He just said this was all news to him.

"The article doesn't describe the Amazon I know or the caring Amazonians I work with every day," Bezos said in a memo to employees.

The story, he said, "claims that our intentional approach is to create a soulless, dystopian workplace where no fun is had and no laughter heard. Again, I don't recognize this Amazon, and I very much hope you don't, either." An Albany employment lawyer represents clients in employment law matters including workplace harassment, unfair labor practices, and wrongful termination claims.

Be that as it may, Amazon customers face a quandary. Do they continue shopping on the site as if nothing were amiss? Or do they respond in some way so the company understands their concern?

"These are very interesting questions," said Lars Perner, an assistant professor of marketing at USC's Marshall School of Business. "You might think about boycotting, but that's difficult given the sheer size of Amazon."

Like me, Perner is a regular Amazon customer. And like me, he's feeling conflicted about doing business with a company that may ride roughshod over its workers.

"I'm still trying to make sense of it all — what's the truth, what isn't," Perner said. "It would be very hard to give Amazon up." A Raleigh employment lawyer is following this story closely.

The story included anecdotal tales about one worker who was given a low performance rating after returning from treatment for thyroid cancer, and another with breast cancer who was put on a "performance improvement plan" — Amazon-speak for probation.

One employee was quoted as saying that she had to leave for a business trip the day after she miscarried twins. "The work is still going to need to get done," she said her boss told her.

Some consumer actions are more clear-cut than others. When Nike wearers learned in the 1990s that the company's pricey shoes were manufactured in Southeast Asian sweatshops, with some workers making as little as 14 cents an hour, a global boycott seemed reasonable.

And it succeeded. Nike, acting out of self-preservation if not moral clarity, pledged to become a leader in fair labor practices.

"The Nike product has become synonymous with slave wages, forced overtime and arbitrary abuse," then-CEO Phil Knight said in 1998. "I truly believe the American consumer doesn't want to buy products made under abusive conditions."

But does the American consumer want to buy products from a digital dynamo that pushes its employees around? Or is the American consumer willing to look the other way to keep enjoying low prices and free shipping for orders over $35?

"I don't think you'll see much of a response from Amazon customers," predicted Ann Bastianelli, senior adjunct professor of marketing at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. "At the end of the day, people will do the most convenient thing."

That seemed to be the case in 2011 after reports that Amazon forced warehouse employees near Allentown, Pa., to work in 114-degree heat, with paramedics waiting nearby for when they'd collapse. There was a protest, and Bezos promised to install air conditioners. But it seemed as if many customers shrugged off the incident.

Bastianelli suggested that sometimes the ends justify the means. She recalled working around 1980 with Indiana's Bob Knight, who was the winningest college basketball coach at the time but also was known for his fiery temper and angry outbursts.

An irate Knight once threw a chair across the court during a 1985 game.

"I'm a big fan of Coach Knight," Bastianelli said. "The fans wanted to win, period. He could take things that were ordinary and make them extraordinary."

The same could be said of Amazon. There's no question that the company is really good at what it does. That's why Wall Street hardly flinched after this week's bad-place-to-work story ran.

And it's clear that, unpleasant though the conditions may be, Amazon is no forced-labor sweatshop for its white-collar employees. They're free to seek gigs elsewhere in the tech world.

My response as a customer, therefore, isn't to take my business elsewhere. I mean, where would I go to match Amazon's impressive service and vast inventory?

"When consumers are concerned about a company's practices or policy positions, it's more effective to make your concerns known to the company in a public way, rather than just privately boycotting the company," advised Emily Rusch, executive director of the California Public Interest Research Group. A South Jersey employment lawyer has experience defending clients in employment related matters involving instances of detrimental labor conditions or discriminatory employment practices.

This column represents my little bit. Here's how you can do yours: Bezos' email address is jeff@amazon.com — and I'm told he really reads his email.

Let him know you're not cool with the company being uncool.

I like Amazon. I want it to succeed.

But not at any cost.

BERMAN: LANSING STUDENTS LOBBY FOR INTERN RIGHTS

Original Story: detroitnews.com

Unpaid internships are a bit of a devil’s bargain: Every summer, college students donate their labor and time for experience in a chosen field, the chance to get noticed — and perhaps even hired.

The bad pay package is a given. But my guess is that very few interns also factor in a lack of legal protection: Under the laws of most states, including Michigan, unpaid interns are uniquely vulnerable to sexual harassment or other discriminatory practices. A Memphis Sexual Harassment Lawyer is dedicated to helping victims of sexual harassment, stop the harassment and recover damages for emotional damages and physical injuries that may have occurred.

In a few notorious cases, including Lihuan Wang’s 2013 lawsuit in New York, judges refused to hear cases involving unpaid interns and sexual harassment, ruling that the interns aren’t employees and thus aren’t covered by workplace laws. A Boston Employment Attorney help businesses set up policies and systems to avoid legal problems in labor and employment matters.

Syracuse University graduate student Wang claimed she’d been ushered into a hotel room by her boss, grabbed and forcibly kissed. But she lost her day in court when the judge decided there could be no hostile work environment since she wasn’t an employee.

Even the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission agreed that federal law against sexual harassment doesn’t apply to unpaid interns. A Memphis EEOC Lawyer represents clients facing employment rights violations.

These rulings helped pass protective laws for interns in Washington, D.C., Oregon and New York. They also outraged David Knezek, a Democratic state rep from Dearborn Heights, who was elected to the state Senate last week; and Matthew Marks, who spent last summer as an intern at a Lansing lobbying firm.

Knezek, a 28-year-old former Marine sergeant, introduced a bill. Today Marks, a Michigan State University senior, is organizing a legislative day for college students to “raise awareness” among legislators and Knezek’s bill. He expects more than 30 students to converge on the state Capitol.

“We are bringing in students from all over the state,” says Marks, who created the Michigan Equal Protections for Interns Coalition (www.miepiec.org) last summer. Knezek and staff members from other legislative offices are giving the students a crash course in how to talk to legislative staff members.

“We’re hoping to raise awareness and get the bill moving,” says Marks, a Deerfield, Illinois, native majoring in political theory and constitutional democracy. Marks, who interned for a Lansing lobbying firm last summer, is practicing what he learned. “I had a good situation,” he says, “But I’ve talked to students who say they did experience sexual harassment.”

The bill (HB 5691) amends the Michigan Occupational Health and Safety Act to give equal protection under the law to volunteers and unpaid interns. “Right now, Michigan State and other universities are sending thousands of students into positions where they have no recourse,” Marks says.

Knezek applauds Marks and other students at MiEPIC. “I’ve been so impressed by their commitment. They refuse to allow someone else to make decisions for them. They’ve really become instrumental in this process and are an example for students across the state,” he told me.

Even with a law, of course, students looking for employment are unlikely to challenge their employers’ conduct. But passing a law is one way to tell employers there is no open season on interns: They’re people, too.

SECRETS OF A TRULY SUCCESSFUL BOARD PITCH

Original Story: bbc.com

One of the most frequent questions I get asked when people hear I sit on company boards isn’t about executive pay packages. Instead, they want to know how to present to a board so its members will say yes.

The question always calls to mind a presentation that went wrong. Several years ago, a rather dandified fellow from inside a company gave a presentation to a board I sat on. He was snide at times, made several off-colour jokes, winked at board members and made his political leanings clear with side remarks about the government of the day. When he didn’t know the answers to questions we asked, he tried to fob them off as irrelevant.

When the chair finally ended the presentation, we looked at each other in disbelief. We weren’t just unsure about the proposal, but also unsure of the person who brought the proposal. I think you can guess how we voted.

Don’t let this be you. A Boston Employment Lawyer agrees.

People present to corporate boards for many reasons—they could be suggesting a new direction for the company, explaining a complex legal issue that needs to be decided quickly, or simply giving an update on an on-going project. But boards come in all shapes and sizes, be they school boards, neighbourhood watch boards, apartment boards, non-profit boards, employee committees.

No matter the context, the principles of presenting to decision making bodies are the same, and getting it right is crucial. It’s not as difficult as it sounds, so long as you keep some guidelines in mind. Here are nine do’s and six don’ts of being effective:

Board Presentations Do’s:

• Know what you are walking into. Board meetings are often jam packed with a long agenda. In the past couple of months I’ve been in meetings that have lasted up to 8 hours, covering  up to 20 topics. Your topic is special to you, but you have a finite amount of time to get essential information across.
• Do your homework. Who is on the board? What is their background? It helps to be able to tailor the presentation when applicable, so you are not telling them things they already know, nor assuming knowledge they might not have. An Atlanta Business Lawyer has experience drafting corporate documents.
• Send documents in plenty of time. I try to ensure board members get their papers at least a week in advance. If there’s a deadline, meet it with several days to spare in case there is feedback before it goes to the board. Please don't "surprise" us, as in "I didn't provide the papers in advance because I wanted to keep you in suspense". This isn't an Agatha Christie novel, it’s a board meeting. Give us the tools we need to make a decision.
• Know in advance how much time you have. Do not go over your allotment. If the chair feels more time is warranted, he or she will extend it. Make sure to leave plenty of time for questions.
• Ask how the board would like the information presented. For example, ask the chair, "shall I present the whole thing or hit the high points?". Another approach: suggest that you "take the papers as already read". That means you presume that everyone has reviewed the documents you sent in advance, and you will just address the most important points and avoid repeating every detail.
• Be prepared. Be professional. Be concise. Board members will judge the content of your presentation, but also the confidence with which you deliver it. A Boston Business Lawyer can provide legal advice for a variety of business matters.
• Stay calm and answer the question asked. If you don't know the answer, don't get flustered, defensive or try to fake it. Instead, promise to come back with the answer as swiftly as possible. Then follow through quickly. Also, and this is really important, don’t get thrown off if you get a lot of hard questions. If we didn’t think your proposal had merit we wouldn't bother with questions, we'd simply say no. Board members ask questions differently — some meander, others get straight to it. No matter the style, stay even-tempered and answer clearly and concisely. Also, don't give attitude about questions you think are "dumb" or obvious — we are doing our job. Often the most interesting or important information comes from seemingly simplistic questions.
• Be clear and concise about the outcome. If there is a decision to be taken by the end of your presentation, make sure the options are very clear. It never hurts to state the options up front, explain them, and then present the options again.
• End with grace. When it is time for you to go, say thanks and leave. Don’t linger.

Board Presentations Don’ts:

• You may be kept waiting — don’t complain.  Meetings can run late depending on the agenda. If it is a closed door meeting you’ll be kept waiting outside. If not, you’ll be there watching other people presenting, or listening to debates on other agenda items. Don't under any circumstances grumble about it, as it will taint the room's view of your presentation before it even starts. A cheerful "no problem" goes a long way.
• Don’t bore us. I recently sat through a report that essentially told everyone in the room something we all already knew. The presenter quickly lost our attention. Even worse, we had all mentally checked out by the time he’d gotten to the "ask".
• Don’t lobby. Your presentation is not an opportunity to take the stand on other areas. If you are there to talk about upgrading the IT infrastructure, throwing in a “while I’m here I’d like to make a pitch for better parking facilities” is not helpful to you or us.
• Don't use jargon. We are not necessarily experts in your field. Use clear language that everyone around the table will understand. The first time out, explain what you mean by ESG, grok, and API, otherwise it just sounds like a string of nonsensical letters and words. Try to avoid overblown statements — a “complete sea change” better be pretty big. Also trend-driven words that will make people roll their eyes. “Thinkfluencer” comes to mind.
• We are not all the same — don’t air your bias and political inclinations. With any luck the group around the table is a diverse one, with diverse opinions. Off-colour jokes and political comments have no place in your presentation and could offend the very people you are trying to persuade.
• Don’t go over the top with bells and whistles. There’s no need to pass out flowers or an entertaining video unless it is directly related to the topic. Useful: “Here is a sample of what we are talking about.” Strange: “Here is a flower for all you lovely people.” And yes, I was in a meeting where someone once handed out flowers to “all the lovely lady board members”.

Clear, Concise, and to the Point

Think of your presentation as a memo, not a novel. Board members thrive on facts presented in a clear concise manner. Even if you leave your presentation without getting the answer yes you hoped for, you will at least leave the people at the table with a good impression of you. And that will go a long way if you come back to the board with a revised proposal.

Give it a go and let me know if it helped, and if you know someone who preparing to give a presentation, clip this and send it to them. Chances are not only will they be grateful, but so will the   board members who hear the presentation.