New hires at SuccessFactors, a software firm based in San Mateo, CA, are required to sign off on a list of 15 corporate principles.

Number 15: “I will not be an a–hole.”

CEO Lars Dalgaard implemented that policy after years of corporate experience taught him that jerks (as we’ll call them) “stifle performance,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle.

As for the harsh language, he said the rule would be easier to ignore without it.

What also makes the rule tough to ignore is that Dalgaard isn’t afraid to enforce it. One time, he took a group of job candidates out to lunch at a local restaurant. Those who weren’t friendly to the waitstaff weren’t brought back to continue the interview process.

Ever worked at a company that needed a policy on jerks? Do you think a rule like Dalgaard’s is good for a company or just an impractical gimmick? Let us know your opinion in the comments section.

Gannett Co. Inc., the largest newspaper publisher in the U.S., is requiring its workers to take a week off without pay before the end of the first quarter.

The company had already cut thousands of employees from its payroll to deal with a severe decline in advertising revenue.

It employs about 40,000 workers. Unions have said they support the company’s decision, but it’s up to each local to decide whether to OK the furlough program.

Gannett expects its 2008 revenue to be down about 8% from 2007.

It owns USA Today, the largest U.S. newspaper by circulation, 85 daily newspapers and 23 TV stations.

At WCCO radio in Minneapolis, management has asked its highest paid on-air talent to take a 10% pay cut to limit the number of employees who would be laid off, according to MinnPost.com.

Afternoon host Don Shelby says he accepted the voluntary pay cut. CBS Radio Minneapolis market manager Mary Niemeyer confirmed that the offer was presented to other employees, but she wouldn’t say how many others accepted the voluntary pay reduction.

The station did announce it had to lay off two news reporters, one full-time, one part-time.

Also in Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, the newspaper, the Pioneer Press, has offered this cost-cutting opportunity to employees: They can take up to six months of unpaid leave in 2009 and return to their same job. The newspaper did something similar in 2001 and 2002.

Mike Bucsko, executive director of the Newspaper Guild, the union representing reporters and some other employees at the paper, said it might be better for some people to consider the offer rather than face other drastic cost-cutting measures.

What do you think of these alternatives to layoffs? Let us know in the Comments Box below.

Their job: keeping birds away from aircraft.

It’s a serious task, according to an article in USA Today. Birds can dent fuselage, foul motors and break windshields. Between 1990 and 2007, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported:

• more than 82,000 aircraft-animal collisions, with birds involved 97% of the time
• eight wildlife strikes that caused 11 human deaths — in most cases, the plane was damaged and the pilot lost control of the aircraft
• bird strikes caused $291 million in damage and 362,000 hours in aircraft down time.

Sky, a one-year-old Border Collie, has been working at Southwest Florida International Airport for two months, shooing birds off the airfield.

Her handler says she’s not aggressive with the birds, but she’s close enough to a predator, such as a wolf or coyote, to scare them.

Unfortunately, it does cost airports more than dog biscuits and belly rubs to hire the dogs. One trained dog and handler from a private service can cost up to $100,000 a year.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is faced with that dilemma.

A new study shows contractors hired to investigate federal-sector discrimination cases for EEOC are doing the job 35% faster and for less than half the cost of federal workers, according to the Federal Times.

Contractors took on 7,400 of the 11,200 EEO investigations in 2007. Just five years ago the number outsourced was only 4,500.

In that same five-year period, the time it takes to conduct investigations has steadily declined. For the first time, average time to complete an investigation dipped below 180 days in 2007.

So outsourcing isn’t just for private industry — even the federal government is doing it more and more. 

Now it appears employers’ war on unhealthy employee habits is extending from smoking to eating. Back in May, HR Blunders ran a story, “Employees’ war on smoking goes ballistic.” In it, we recounted how Whirlpool Co. had suspended 39 workers who signed insurance documents that they didn’t use tobacco and were observed smoking on company grounds.

That story is one that drew a large number of comments, including:

• “I agree that smoking isn’t healthy. Neither is … eating too much … “
• “I believe obesity causes more health risks than smoking.”
• “Isn’t obesity just as much a health risk as smoking?”
• “How about the extremely overweight employee and their health problems?”
• “Next we will have employees weigh in and be measured to ensure that they have an ideal BMI (body mass index).”

The HR manager who made the last comment successfully predicted the future.

State workers in Alabama will have to start paying $25 a month for medical insurance that is otherwise free if they can’t get their BMI below 35.

Obese employees cost more

The screening for employees will start in January 2010.

If the screenings turn up serious problems with blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose or  obesity, employees will have a year to see a doctor at no cost, enroll in a wellness program or take steps on their own to improve their health.

If they don’t improve sufficiently by January 2011, they must pay the $25 per month for insurance.

Alabama already charges its workers who smoke. That charge is $24 per month.

The state’s plan actually lets employees considered simply overweight and even some who are obese off the hook.

A BMI of 18.5-24.9 is considered normal. Less than 18.5 is underweight. Between 25.0 and 29.9 is overweight. Over 30.0 is obese. More than 35.0 is considered morbidly obese when combined with other health problems such as high blood pressure or cholesterol.

The state will spend an extra $1.6 million next year on screenings and wellness programs, but expects to see significant long-term savings.

Someone with a BMI of 35 to 39 generates $1,748 more in annual medical expenses than someone with a BMI less than 25.

Alabama is the first state to institute a program like this. State of Ohio workers get $50 for having health assessments and another $50 for following through with any advice given.

Arkansas and Missouri offer monthly discounts on premiums for employees who take risk assessments and participate in wellness programs to reduce obesity, stress and other health conditions.

If all this information about weight has made you curious about what constitutes being overweight or obese, a BMI calculator is available online for free.

What do you think about Alabama’s program? Does your company offer wellness programs? If so, what’s included? Let us know in the Comments section below.

So we thought we’d tell you about how the Los Angeles Police Department has hired a full-time dietician to help pudgy police pitch pounds.

Rana Parker has provided personal counseling to about 90 recruits, taught a nutrition course to 500 others and made presentations to 400 officers.

Is there a recent propensity for police with paunches?

In fact, there is. Faced with a need for more officers, the LAPD briefly relaxed maximum body fat limits from their usual 22% for men and 30% for women.

One idea Parker pushes: Lay off the fast food.

On busy days, it’s tempting for officers to grab a burger and fries, a slice of pizza, or a microwave burrito.

Parker encourages officers and recruits to keep power bars, fruit and peanut butter sandwiches around. They’re easy to fix and can be eaten quickly.

And when you think about it, that’s not bad advice for any of us who are bogged down at work.

So, no more cops gathering at donut shops. Now you’ll have to look for them in the healthy foods aisle.