WIRTW #155 (the two-drink-maximum edition)

I was not the only one this week commenting on the legal risks of office holiday parties:

• The Office Holiday Party - Alcohol-Induced Stupidity Can Lead to Serious Sexual Harassment Claims – from Daniel Schwartz’s Connecticut Employment Law Blog

• How To Avoid Holiday Party Pitfalls (and Liability) – from World of Work

• Your Career: Surviving the office holiday party – from msnbc.com

• Time to Get Your “Drink On” at the Office Holiday Party! – from Fistful of Talent

• Behave at Office Holiday Parties – from Lawyerist

If you’re planning on voting for me at the ABA’s Blawg 100, please do so before you indulge too much at your office party and forget to vote at all.

Here’s the rest of what I read this week:

Discrimination

• The FMLA, the ADA and retaliation – from Michael Maslanka’s Work Matters

• 3d Circuit: Untimely Failure-to-Promote Claim Is Not Saved by Ledbetter Fair Pay Act – from Molly DiBianca’s Delaware Employment Law Blog

• Supreme Court May Clarify Use Of “Me Too” Evidence Of Employment Discrimination – from Hunton Employment & Labor Law Perspectives™

• A Room with a View – The Costly Consequences of Ignoring a Small Request for Accommodation – from Wyatt Employment Law Report

• Employers and the newly expanded ADA – from Overlawyered

• Record Gender Discrimination Class Action Settlement And Fee Award Given Final Approval – from Workplace Class Action Litigation

• I’m Harassed By Your Affairs With Others: A New Legal Threat Emerges (Gender Plus)... – from Kris Dunn, The HR Capitalist

• Lawsuit Alleges Hiring Discrimination Due to Credit Background Checks – from employeescreenIQ Blog

• 10 Tips For Avoiding GINA Violations – from Workplace Privacy Counsel

• Disparate Impact Suit - Credit Checks – from Michael Fox’s Jottings By An Employer’s Lawyer

• Documentation is Key to Surviving OFCCP Audit – from New York Labor and Employment Law Report

• BIG LIES: “The check's in the mail,” and “I can fire you for a good, bad, or no reason” – from Employment and Labor Insider

• Job Descriptions and the ADA: Are Those ‘Essential Functions’ Really Essential? – from Case In Point

• Combining Romance and Work, Can Lead to Demotion or Even Termination From Employment – from Minnesota Labor & Employment Law Blog

Wage & Hour

• Wal-Mart Stores v. Dukes: Will SCOTUS grant certiorari? – from LawMemo Employment Law Blog

• Workplace Flexibility and the Military – from Workplace Prof Blog

• Verizon FMLA settlement may exceed $6 million – from The FMLA Blog

• Steeped-Up Independent Contractor Enforcement Initiatives Coming Down The Pike Full Steam – from Wage & Hour - Development & Highlights

• ESPN Zone Closure Prompts Lawsuit by Laid Off Workers – from Maryland Employment Law Developments

• You Be The Judge: Did the boss or the worker close FMLA door? – from HR Cafe

• Leon Rodriguez to Be Nominated for the Top Job at the Wage and Hour Division – from Wage & Hour Counsel

DOL/ABA Partnership

• The DOL’s Holiday Gift for the Plaintiff’s Bar – from FMLA Insights

• DOL/ABA Lawyer-Referral Program Threatens More FLSA Litigation – from Wage and Hour Laws Blog

• USDOL + ABA = Trouble? – from HR Observations

• DOL-Private Bar Collaboration for Workers with Employment Complaints – from EFCA & Labor Law Reform Blog

• The DOL’s Lawyer Referral Arrangement with ABA Not Likely to Help Employers or Employees – from Iowa Employment Law Blog

• White House Task Force Announces DOL-ABA Partnership to Facilitate Wage and Hour Challenges – from Washington D.C. Employment Law Update

Social Networking & Technology

• When the iPad Is the Only Computer Your Employees Need—or Want – from BusinessWeek

• When It Comes To Smartphones, Employers Better Watch Out – from Workplace Diva

• Blackberries, iPhones and Androids: Do SmartPhones Belong in Meetings? – from Suzanne Lucas, “The Evil HR Lady,” writing at bNet

• “Cyber Monday”: Myth Or Must-Day For Online Shopping? – from NPR

• Managing the Workplace in the Age of Social Media – from CPEhr

• How Grinchy Should Employers Be About Online Shopping? – from Manpower Employment Blawg

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