Organizational Development: 2010-09-05

X Corp Consultng in Hermosa Beach

Xochitl Boehm is the founder and President of X Corp. Consulting Services which provides Human Resource and Organizational Development solutions. She has fifteen years of diverse Human Resource and Organizational Development experience. She has worked on International projects both in France and Mexico and is bilingual in both Spanish and English. Xochitl’s experience covers a wide spectrum of industries which include, finance, entertainment, semiconductor and power management, high tech, media, retail, food and beverage and fashion. She began her career at fortune five hundred company Anderson Consulting, LLC, in Human Resources, and ultimately worked her way into the Strategy division where she began her work in Change Management/Organizational Development. She later moved into the entertainment industry where she was the Director of Human Resources at Windswept Music Publishing. While at Windswept, she led and managed a successful team through the implementation and successful completion of a complex and long systems development project to digitize music which was the result of a well known acquisition. She later went onto work as one of the few female executives at Creative Artists Agency assisting in the development of the International Sports Talent Management division. Her consulting projects have given her valuable experience in all areas of Human Resources and Organizational Development. Her clients have included Spelling Entertainment, International Rectifier, Creative Domain, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Otis College of Art and Design, William Rast, and WSA/ENK International. Her consulting philosophy is based on Process Consultation which focuses on facilitation, collaboration, and implementation. Xochitl holds a Masters Degree in Science in Organizational Development and a Bachelors of Arts in English, both from Pepperdine University. She is an active member of the Society of Human Resource Management well as the American Society of Training and Development.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Harassing co-workers not part of religious accommodation

Yes, employers are obligated to accommodate employees’ religious beliefs. But there are limits.
A recent case from Kentucky sheds some light on the issue.

After a thorough reading of the Bible one night, Claudette Mitchell, a devout Christian, came to believe the world would end on Dec. 21, 2033.

After her “discovery,” she fervently told two dozen of her co-workers at the University of Kentucky. She was so adamant that several employees complained to HR.

After a verbal warning (but no disciplinary action), Mitchell resigned — and then sued, claiming religious discrimination.

The court ruled for the employer – Mitchell couldn’t prove her company took any adverse action against her.

Furthermore, the court said Mitchell wouldn’t have had a case even if she’d been fired – employers don’t have to accommodate a worker’s religious beliefs if those beliefs involve them harassing co-workers.

Cite: Mitchell v. University Medical Center, Inc. For a full look at the court decision, go here.

http://www.hrmorning.com/tag/harassment/