Workplace Buzz: Today's Headlines

Questioning Workplace Practices
Executives at Toyota's manufacturing complex in Georgetown defended it as a "great place to work" in responding to a series of work-force concerns brought by a social justice group keen on unionizing the plant's workforce.The three-page letter takes issue with the recommendations offered last month by Kentucky Jobs With Justice. Those recommendations, which included the treatment of temporary workers and on-the-job injuries, grew out of a Workers' Rights Board hearing the group held in June. Lexington Herald-Leader

Smoking Ban
Employees who smoke are fast becoming an endangered species as companies ban smoking on all corporate grounds, including parking and other outdoor areas where smokers were once allowed to gather. It's a radical change from just a decade ago, when smoking was tolerated even if frowned upon. But now being a smoker on the job can even risk your job as more companies pass policies banning the hiring of smokers. ABC News

Making Friends at the Office
Most days, co-workers Natasha Burke and Zipporah Dvash spend their time together at the office. But as fast friends, the two also have a tight social life away from work. They've attended weddings, bar mitzvahs and dinners together. Dvash has even tried to set her colleague up on dates."We're a classic example of how friendships can be successful at work," says Dvash, 51, a public affairs director at the Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn. Burke, 34, handles community affairs. "Each of us has a vested interest in helping the other do well. We help each other. It's made our jobs so much easier." GANNETT NEWS SERVICE