You (Don’t) Look Marvelous: Considerations for Employers Regulating Employee Appearance

Under federal law, employers are generally allowed to set policies regulating employees’ appearance, provided that those policies do not impinge on groups specifically protected under federal statute. State and local laws, however, may preclude employers from implementing such dress and appearance policies. Employers whose workers are unionized must consider the provisions of the bargaining agreement. One trend in connection with regulations relating to employees’ appearance and dress is that creative lawyers have stretched the law to cover certain workers

Restaurants at the Crossroads: A State By State Summary of Key Wage-and-Hour Provision Affecting the Restaurant Industry

Restaurateurs face a remarkable tangle of laws and regulations that on their face are meant to protect workers, but which often serve to create a confusion for operators—and employment for labor attorneys. While many states simply apply federal wage and hour laws, others have been active in passing their own statutes, which set regulations that are more stringent than those of the federal government. Based on discussions at Cornell Legal Roundtables, this tool presents a comprehensive compilation of the wage-and-hour rules from all fifty U.S. states, plus the District of Columbia and Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. While this tool does not substitute for the advice of legal counsel, it provides an overview of regulations to guide restaurateurs as they set their human resource policies and procedures

Using role-play to improve students’ confidence and perceptions of communication in a simulated volcanic crisis

Traditional teaching of volcanic science typically emphasises scientific principles and tends to omit the key roles, responsibilities, protocols, and communication needs that accompany volcanic crises. This chapter provides a foundation in instructional communication, education, and risk and crisis communication research that identifies the need for authentic challenges in higher education to challenge learners and provide opportunities to practice crisis communication in real-time. We present an authentic, immersive role-play called the Volcanic Hazards Simulation that is an example of a teaching resource designed to match professional competencies. The role-play engages students in volcanic crisis concepts while simultaneously improving their confidence and perceptions of communicating science. During the role-play, students assume authentic roles and responsibilities of professionals and communicate through interdisciplinary team discussions, media releases, and press conferences. We characterised and measured the students’ confidence and perceptions of volcanic crisis communication using a mixed methods research design to determine if the role-play was effective at improving these qualities. Results showed that there was a statistically significant improvement in both communication confidence and perceptions of science communication. The exercise was most effective in transforming low-confidence and low-perception students, with some negative changes measured for our higher-learners. Additionally, students reported a comprehensive and diverse set of best practices but focussed primarily on the mechanics of science communication delivery. This curriculum is a successful example of how to improve students’ communication confidence and perceptions

K-12 Communication Education: What Role Should the National Organization Play?

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