Last month, my family vacationed at Disney World. While the trip was planned last fall, it was a much needed (almost) week away after our ordeal in February. One of our first stops was to meet Buzz Lightyear at the Magic Kingdom. I’m sure lots of 3-year-old boys idolize Buzz, but I’m not sure anyone loves Buzz as much as my son does.
I mentioned to the PhotoPass photographer to take as many pictures as he could, explaining that Donovan had spent 3 weeks in the hospital, how much Buzz means to him, and how much him meeting Buzz meant to us. A Cast Member overheard my story, pulled me aside, and gave me a voucher for a free 8x10 picture. That voucher probably cost Disney 50 cents, yet it proved invaluable to my family that someone thought to do something nice for us.
Let this story be a lesson for employers—the little things do matter. Taking the time to spread some “pixie dust” on your workers once in a while should pay exponential dividends.
Here’s the rest of what I read this week:
Weinergate
- What if you were Anthony Weiner’s boss? – from Rob Radcliff’s Smooth Transitions
- Weiner and the Same Old Social Media Lessons – from Philip Miles’s Lawffice Space
- Your Company Firewalls Are Meaningless to Your Employees. Time for a Plan B. – from Daniel Schwartz’s Connecticut Employment Law Blog
- How to Recover from a Blunder – from Harvard Business Review
- Dirty Pictures And The Internet: A Guide for Dummies – from Kashmir Hill’s The Not-So Private Parts
- Social Media Crisis Management, Weinergate, Politics, Football, and the Law – from Shear on Social Media Law
- Lessons from Weinergate – from Manpower Employment Blawg
- Women shouldn’t blame Weiner from Eve Tahmincioglu’s CareerDiva
- Another Day, Another Person Ruins Their Career On Twitter – from Chris Penttila’s Workplace Diva
- Congressional Tweet-mageddon After Weiner Scandal – from AllThingsD
(Non-Weiner-related) Social Media & Workplace Technology
- Social Recruiting a Growing Hotbed for Discrimination Claims? – from Newton Software Blog
- While employers screen job applicants on social media, lawyers assess the risk – from AllBusiness
- Electronic “Redactions” Not Always Effective: Greater Caution In Dealing With Sensitive Materials In Trade Secret Cases Necessary – from Trading Secrets
- Employee Rights and Social Media – A Summary of NLRB Enforcement Activity – from Augmented Legality
Discrimination
- The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA): Not Your Standard Discrimination Law – from Michael Haberman’s Omega HR Solutions
- Supreme Court limits an employer's ability to recoup attorney’s fees – from Eric Meyer’s The Employer Handbook Blog
- Anti-Gay Harassment Claims Need to Be Investigated – from Labor & Employment Law Perspectives
- Federal Court Reels In EEOC’s Fishing Expedition – from Employer Law Report
- Summer Jobs, Sexual Harassment – from Nolo’s Employment Law Blog
- The unemployed: a new protected class? – from John Holmquist’s Michigan Employment Law Connection
- “Acrophobic bridge worker protected by ADA” – from Walter Olson’s Overlawyered
- EEOC proposes records rule on Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act – from Judy Greenwald at Business Insurance
- 5 signs that your sexual harassment case may be a dog – from Employment and Labor Insider
- Sixth Circuit Grants Rehearing En Banc in the Lewis Case Involving Discrimination Claims Under the ADA – from Sixth Circuit Appellate Blog
HR & Employee Relations
- America’s Pastime Part II: Outsourcing for Talent – from Rob Schwartz’s Fairness Matters
- State of Ohio Moves to Ban Credit Reports – from Nick Fishman at the employeescreenIQ Blog
- Employment Background Checks: Legal Considerations – from Small Business Support
- Should You Get Naked With Your Boss – from Evil HR Lady, Suzanne Lucas
- Point/Counterpoint - Should You Automatically Pay Severance to Anyone You Fire? – from Fistful of Talent
- Eight Threats and Traps for HR in Today’s Legal Environment – from HR Daily Advisor
- Modern Vacations, or Why You Never Really Get Away From Work Anymore – from TLNT
- How to Steal Employees – from Portfolio.com
Wage & Hour
- Are the FLSA’s Enterprise Coverage Requirements Outdated in Today’s Economy? – from Overtime Law Blog
- Juries Hand Employers Class Action Wage and Hour Victories – from Employment Class Action Blog
- FMLA, COBRA, ADA, EEOC-Not Necessarily In That Order – from Work Blawg
- Policy Limits on Vacation Travel During FMLA Leave Upheld – from The FMLA Blog
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