Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 24, 1994 TAG: 9501180017
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A17 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
Leslie Cree was so sick of hearing her officemate blab about O.J. Simpson that she designated their common work space an ``O.J. Free Zone,'' pinning up a list of forbidden topics of discussion.
``No talk about attorneys, dead people, weapons and no speculation about guilt or innocence,'' the sign read.
``She was driving me insane,'' Cree said of her colleague, Martha Gorman, a seminar coordinator for The Hay Group, a management consulting firm based in Philadelphia.
Gorman admitted she talks about the case to anyone who will listen and has even carried a People magazine O.J. trial guide to client meetings.
The first witness in the murder case hasn't even been called, yet the battle lines already are being drawn in offices across America.
The issue is not necessarily guilt or innocence. Rather, some people fear live TV coverage of the trial, expected to start in January, could become a workplace disruption.
Although many U.S. employers don't now see this as a problem - how many workplaces even have TVs? - the proceedings in Los Angeles could become a national obsession, much like the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings a few years ago. And the O.J. trial could last for months.
``Many companies will be caught unawares,'' said Walter Polsky, chairman and chief executive of Cambridge Human Resource Group, a personnel consulting firm in Chicago. ``They are unprepared for the drop in productivity.''
His firm is recommending that clients hold staff meetings before the trial, make videotaped segments available during lunch breaks and re-emphasize company policies about time off and sick leave.
A random query of major employers, including some in the Roanoke Valley, showed some companies are at least thinking about how the trial could affect productivity.
``We expect a resurgence of Simpsonitis around the water cooler and in cafeterias around the country,'' said Burke Stinson, a spokesman for AT&T Corp.
"I don't know if that's what's doing it, but we're selling more TV sets than ever," said Stan Cross, president of Holdren's Inc. in Roanoke.
Cross said he couldn't say what motivates people to buy, but his personal opinion is that people seem to be extremely tired of watching the O.J. Simpson case.
"I haven't given it a moment's thought or heard any speculation in the lunch room," said David Furman, human resources director for First Union National Bank of Virginia. He said he can't believe it's true that people might be watching television during working hours: "I hope not."
No business clients have discussed the issue with his firm, said David Paxton, a lawyer with Roanoke's Gentry, Locke, Rakes and Moore. Nor had he heard anyone else in the area talk about it.
Employers obviously have the power to control working hours and conditions, Paxton noted.
Besides, he said, most of the live coverage will be on cable channels, and he knows of few businesses that have cable service if they have TVs at all.
"I don't think it's that much of an issue around here," Paxton said. "I'd be surprised if it was a problem here."
Staff writer Mag Poff contributed to this story.
by CNB