According to a report released in November by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), African American and Hispanic workers were hit particularly hard during the first year of the current recession. The report notes that while “the overall labor market conditions deteriorated markedly in 2008 following the onset of the recession in December 2007 . . . labor market problems for blacks or African Americans and Hispanics or Latinos were especially acute.”

In 2008, the BLS reported that the unemployment rate was 10.1 percent for blacks and 7.6 percent for Hispanics. These figures were considerably higher than the unemployment rates for whites and Asians, at 5.2 percent and 4.0 percent, respectively. During the first 10 months of 2009, the unemployment rate for black male college graduates 25 and older was 8.4 percent — compared with 4.4 percent for white male college graduates.

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Boston-native Christine M. Griffin has taken over the number two spot at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). One of her top tasks will be to help OPM Director John Berry increase the diversity of the federal government, which he has called one of his top long-term goals.

Before being appointed to the position by President Barack Obama on May 12, 2009 (she was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 30 and took office on January 4, 2010), Griffin was a Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC). There, she helped develop and approve enforcement policies, including those authorized by law, regulation, or order.

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For the third year, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) teamed up with Winning Workplaces to create its list of Top Small Workplaces for 2009. As the article notes, when faced with tough economic times, many employers try to cut just about everything that may be considered nonessential, including employee benefits, wellness plans, and other innovative programs. In doing so, they often shut employees completely out of the decision-making process. While the idea behind their actions is simply to stay afloat and make sure that employees at least have a job, the unintended consequence can be a negative workplace with low employee morale.

However, as the WSJ recognizes, there are still several companies committed to their employees’ well-being and development. Having happy, well-trained employees pays off now and continues paying off in the future. That’s because companies with a high rate of employee satisfaction and low turnover save money in the long run and put the company in a good position to rev back up when the economy turns around.

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On December14, 2009, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced a class-action settlement with national restaurant chain Bahama Breeze for $1.26 million and significant remedial relief. The case originated with 37 black workers at the company’s Beachwood, Ohio, location who claimed they were repeatedly harassed because of their race.

In the lawsuit, the EEOC charged that Bahama Breeze managers committed numerous and consistent acts of racial harassment against black employees, including frequently addressing black staff members with slurs such as “Aunt Jemima,” “home boy,” “you people,” and the “n” word. Additionally, managers allegedly imitated what they perceived to be language and mannerisms of black employees and denied them breaks while allowing breaks to Caucasian employees. Despite the employees’ complaints to management, the alleged race-based harassment continued.

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