Public-works employees begin concerted activity over heat-safety, including a coordinated social-media campaign and a planned walk-around of the yard. The city manager wants an immediate gag order. What should HR recommend as the response strategy?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
A gag order on heat-safety talk is like taping the smoke alarm because the beeping is annoying. Concerted activity—and public-employee speech on working conditions—can be protected even when it is inconvenient. Fix the heat risk; do not chill the complaint.
Full Explanation
Concerted activity is named on the SPHR exam outline as a strategy constraint. Many public employees sit outside the NLRA, but state public-sector labor statutes and First Amendment doctrine on matters of public concern can still protect group action over workplace safety. A gag order is the wrong response strategy because it risks illegal chilling and ignores the underlying hazard. HR should evaluate the applicable protections and answer with a heat-safety plan, not a silence order.