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Labor Day, summer's last hurrah, is just around the corner (It's Monday, for those of you who don't highlight every holiday on your calendar). The original purpose of Labor Day was to celebrate the working (wo)man (154.5 million people now) and also to discuss working conditions and improvements that could be made. Most celebrations included rallies, demonstrations, and speeches from labor representatives. Today, Labor Day has become more of a family celebration with little thought about our working conditions. Is it because we have it so good? You decide--below are some facts and statistics about current working conditions taken from the U.S. Census Bureau regarding labor:

·         82% of full-time workers are covered by health insurance

·         77% of workers receive paid holidays

·         15% of workers have access to employer assistance for child care

·         12% of workers have access to long-term care insurance

·         46% of workers have access to dental care

·         29% of workers have access to vision care

·         64% of workers have access to outpatient prescription drug care

·         The median earnings of male full-time, year-round workers is $42,261.00

·         The median earnings of female full-time, year-round workers is $32,515.00

·         28% of workers work more than 40 hours per week

·         8% of workers work more than 60 hours per week

This year, enjoy your Labor Day celebration, but take some time to think about your working conditions and to pat yourself on the back for another good year.

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The other day I had the opportunity to hear Gavin Jerome, the Morale Mechanic speak. The invitation stated Gavin's mission is "to change the workplace one laugh at a time, not just by getting laughs, but by teaching people how to create and share humor with others." I like a good joke so I thought I would attend. His presentation was humorous, but also enlightening. He championed taking the difficult, stressful situations which you have to deal with and finding some humor in it. Gavin gave nine thoughts which won't eliminate the stress in our lives or jobs, but may make it more bearable:

1.      You always have a choice: you can be positive or negative.

2.      Find humor in places people miss it

3.      Go with the flow

4.      Look for the laughs in your life

5.      Laugh at yourself

6.      Humor helps manage conflict

7.      Humor helps manage change

8.      Customer service isn't magic

9.      People like doing business with people who like doing business

Today's environment--work obligations, family obligations, financial obligations--creates stress which causes disruptions in the work place, including strained co-worker relationships and customer relationships. Since stress cannot be eliminated from our lives, laughter may be the best medicine.

Photo on flickr by Darren Hester

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Beside the fact that discriminating against prospective employees could land your company in litigation hot water, it may come back to bite you later on. Most people have heard of Roe v. Wade but haven't heard of Sarah Weddington, the attorney representing the woman seeking an abortion in Roe v. Wade. According to an ABA article, Weddington may not have had that opportunity had she been given a fair chance at a Dallas law firm. During the interview process, the law firm questioned her ability to work the long hours and still make it home to cook dinner. They were also concerned that they couldn't cuss her out as much as male associates. She didn't get the position, but she didn't file a lawsuit. Years later, when she was advising President Jimmy Carter on women's issues and judicial appointments, a senior partner in that same Dallas law firm wanted to be a federal judge. He didn't get the position.

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I was fortunate enough to have been part of the 2007-2008 Leadership Iowa class.  Throughout the year I traveled the state learning about different communities and important issues facing Iowa such as healthcare, economic development and agriculture entrepreneurship. During one session, my class and I decided we were going to partner with Habitat for Humanity and build Iowa's first "green" Habitat House.

Our goals were to build a model green home that would:
* Reduce the impact on human health and the environment;
* Minimize the family's sustained utility costs;
* Serve as a model for Habitat for Humanity nationwide to encourage the organization to build more green homes, reduce the carbon footprint, and help make sustaining a home more affordable for partner families;
* Raise awareness of Iowa's leadership in renewable energy; and
* Demonstrate that the life cycle cost of green building is less expensive than traditional construction.

These goals are becoming a reality this week when construction on Iowa's first "green" Habitat House gets undeway.  "Raise the Roof" on Project LIGHT (Leadership Iowa Green Home Team) is scheduled for Tuesday, August 12, 2008.  Thank you to everyone involved who has contributed to make this project a reality!

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