Last summer, I asked a simple question: “Have we devolved into a society of assholes?” Today, I offer the empirical proof, courtesy of a survey conducted by Weber Shandwick and Powell Tate in partnership with KRC Research, as reported by Roger Simon at Politico.com (c/o Workplace Diva). The results are not surprising, but nonetheless sobering:
Some 86 percent of Americans say they have been victims of incivility…. About six in 10 Americans admit they themselves have been rude….
More than four in 10 Americans have experienced incivility in the workplace, with 65 percent blaming their bosses for it, and 59 percent blaming fellow employees. Younger employees were blamed by 34 percent, and access to the Internet by 25 percent (Is Angry Birds making people angrier?). Older employees did best, blamed for incivility by only 6 percent.
On the positive side, when asked to assign a degree of incivility to 25 American institutions, the workplace finished better than 21 others, sandwiched between President Obama and Oprah. Good company to be in, I suppose.
Here’s the rest of what I read this week:
Wal-Mart v. Dukes
- Wal-Mart v. Dukes: What The Class-Action Decision Really Means for Employers – from Dan Schwartz’s Connecticut Employment Law Blog
- Why the Walmart Ruling is Good For Everyone – from Evil HR Lady
- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes—A Sigh of Relief – from Michael Fox’s Jottings By An Employer’s Lawyer
- Wal-Mart Ruling Reinforces Fundamental Principles of Fairness – from The ChamberPost
- “$7 million to sue Wal-Mart”? – from Ted Frank’s PointOfLaw Forum
- Why Wal-Mart Matters, But Perhaps Less Than You Think – from Workplace Fairness
- Five Reasons Why the Walmart Decision Doesn't Affect Your Discrimination Case – from Donna Ballman writing at AOL.com
Social Media & Workplace Technology
- NLRB Continues Aggressive Response to Employers’ Social Media Policies It Deems Overbroad – from Social Networking Law Blog
- Update: NLRB Continues To Closely Probe Employer Terminations Following Employee Complaints On Social Media – from Hunton Employment & Labor Law Perspectives™
- Fired for having a sassy Web page? – from HR Cafe
- Now Your Embarrassing/Job-Threatening Facebook Photos Could Haunt You For Seven Years – from Kashmir Hill’s The Not-So Private Parts
- Prosecutor’s Facebook postings did not warrant overturning conviction – from Evan Brown’s Internet Cases
- How To Respond To A Social Media Crisis or Scandal: Don’t Be A Weiner – from Shear on Social Media Law
- Even More Social Stats – from Mark Toth’s Manpower Employment Blawg
- Grandparents Are Using Social Networks – from Social Media Today
Employee Relations & HR
- “So You Got My Letter” – from Walter Olson’s Overlawyered
- Hire Slow, Fire Fast – from Michael Haberman’s HR Observations
- Does Your Employment Separation Agreement Mean What You Think it Means? Michigan Court Addresses Meaning of “Disparagement” – from Michigan Employment Law Advisor
- Keeping The Pirates At Bay: How To Avoid And Deal With Poaching – from Trade Secret / Noncompete Blog
- Goodyear Tire Sues Continental Tire On Invevitable Disclosure Via New Hire Theory – from Trade Secrets Blog
- Protecting Trade Secrets: Confidential Information and Customer Relationships Audits – from Trade Secrets & Non-Compete Blog
- GOOD RIDDANCE! Just what can you say about that ex-employee of yours? – from Employment and Labor Insider
- What to expect from a background check – from The Work Buzz
Labor Relations
- BEWARE EMPLOYERS: Overhauled union-election rules may be near – from Eric Meyer’s The Employer Handbook Blog
- More on NLRB’s Proposal to Expedite Union Representation Elections – from Seth Borden’s Labor Relations Today
- NLRB Proposes Significant Changes to Election Process – from Washington D.C. Employment Law Update
- Obama Administration Issues Two Proposed Regulations Designed to Promote Pro-Union Agenda – from Employer Law Report
- Attorneys are more influential than they thought… or maybe the DOL is giving us too much credit – from HR HQ
- Big Brother Watching You? DOL Demands More Information from Employers About Union Avoidance Activities – from Vorys on Labor
Wage & Hour
- Conjunction Junction, What’s Your Function? The Ninth Circuit Finds Junior Accountants And Other Non-Licensed Professions May Be Exempt – from The Wage and Hour Litigation Blog
- A Brief FLSA Refresher Course – from Employment Essentials
- Firing replacement workers to allow striking employees to return is not a “mass layoff” under WARN Act – from Employment Law Matters
- Happy Father’s Day: Dad Claims He Was Terminated After Taking FMLA Leave for Bonding with Newborn Child – from FMLA Insights
Written by Jon Hyman, a partner in the Labor & Employment group of Kohrman Jackson & Krantz. For more information, contact Jon at (216) 736-7226 or jth@kjk.com.