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Picture of Jonathan Segal

Jonathan Segal

Jonathan A. Segal is a partner at Duane Morris LLP in the Employment Group. He is also the managing principal of the Duane Morris Institute. The Duane Morris Institute provides training for human resource professionals, in-house counsel, and other leaders at client sites and by way of webinar on myriad employment, leadership labor, benefits and immigration topics. Jonathan has served intermittently as a consultant to the Federal Judicial Center in Washington, D.C. for more than 20 years, providing training on employment issues to federal judges around the country.
Picture of Jonathan Segal

Jonathan Segal

Jonathan A. Segal is a partner at Duane Morris LLP in the Employment Group. He is also the managing principal of the Duane Morris Institute. The Duane Morris Institute provides training for human resource professionals, in-house counsel, and other leaders at client sites and by way of webinar on myriad employment, leadership labor, benefits and immigration topics. Jonathan has served intermittently as a consultant to the Federal Judicial Center in Washington, D.C. for more than 20 years, providing training on employment issues to federal judges around the country.
saying No

Getting to NO in the New Year and Shark Tank!

We all know we need to say NO at times. Otherwise, every YES that should be a NO risks resulting in a NO that should be a YES down the road.  But saying NO can be incredibly hard. Saying yes all of the time, is not simply people pleasing, although that is a piece of it.  It is also the fear of a lost opportunity, and all that could flow from it. So before discussing some suggestions on how to say NO, let me tell you the 3 biggest mistakes I see: Non-Responsiveness Of course, you cannot respond to every e-mail

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That Difficult Conversation

Every HR professional and manager has had to have a tough talk with an employee about his or her performance. Sometimes it is in the context of an annual appraisal. Other times, it may be a final warning prior to termination. But regardless of when the discussion happens, careful planning is necessary. Otherwise, the wrong things may be said or done, and difficult conversations can quickly evolve into difficult lawsuits. Here are 11 tips to help take some of the pain—and risk—out of those closed-door meetings. Don’t Delay Understandably, many of us defer uncomfortable confrontations. But while we’re procrastinating, the employee

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Where Have All the Mentors Gone?

If each of us is honest, we know mentoring played a role for us in however we define success. Many of us think of our mentors as close friends or even family members. Many of us also think of our mentors as great teachers. And, if we are lucky, we are able to serve as mentors, too. Lucky because we gain so much when we listen to actual and perceived obstacles to those who place their trust in us – and help them overcome these barriers. But why do we see less formal and informal mentoring now than we did in

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Why The Oscars Diversity Issue Matters to All Employers

Sunday night was the 88th broadcast of Academy Awards. And, even if you didn’t watch it, then you know that not one person of color was nominated for an Oscar in the categories of best actor or actress in either a primary or supporting role. The host was Chris Rock. And, with humor and perspective, he nailed it…effectively by reframing it. The absence of award nominations for actors of color was less about the nominations themselves and more about the absence of acting opportunities for actors of color. If you don’t have access to the opportunities, then it goes without saying

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Care For, But Don’t Coddle, Millennials

Spend about half an hour Googling for articles on millennials and the workplace, and you will find more written in the last year alone than you will be able to read in a week. How do we attract millennials? What do millennials want? How do we make millennials happy? How do we make millennials feel valued? How do we make millennials feel comfortable? Then, there are the less public discussions about millennials. In these private conversations, Generation X, baby boomers and traditionalists (and sometimes even older millennials) grouse about what they perceive as an entitlement mentality among some young millennials. Some

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Copernicus Was Wrong

Copernicus said the earth revolves around the sun. Copernicus was only partially correct. The earth does not always revolve around the sun. In some workplaces, the earth revolves around an employee. Yes, I can tell that each of you is thinking of a particular employee. Let’s hope no one is thinking of you! Seriously, how do you deal with the employee who is the sun for the workplace’s earth? Let’s be clear that we need to be careful with the words that we use.  The most common:  narcissism. Often, these individuals are solipsistic, not narcissistic.  But it is more than a matter of

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The Executive’s New Clothes

We have all read Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”  Wikipedia explains the story in a succinct and cogent matter: A vain Emperor who cares about nothing except wearing and displaying clothes hires two swindlers who promise him the finest, best suit of clothes from a fabric invisible to anyone who is unfit for his position or “hopelessly stupid.” The Emperor’s ministers cannot see the clothing themselves, but pretend that they can for fear of appearing unfit for their positions and the Emperor does the same. Finally the swindlers report that the suit is finished, they mime dressing him and

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Workplace Bullying: Bully Be Not Proud

As we all know, Congress is dysfunctional.  But legislative activity at the state and local level is hot, particularly in the employment arena. State and local governments across the U.S. have passed a spate of recent bills on myriad issues ranging from protecting the right of employees to carry a concealed weapon in their vehicle to limiting when employers can do criminal background checks to prohibiting employers from asking applicants or employees for their social media password. Yet, there are no laws in the U.S. prohibiting bullying in the workplace.  Since 2003, anti-bullying bills have been introduced in 25 states. Everyone has

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