Flu season is upon us. Do you know, that according to the Walgreens Flu Impact Report [pdf], U.S. adults missed 230 million work days during last year’s flu season? Some additional findings of note:
- In 2012 – 2013, the flu cost U.S. employers $30.4 billion
- Employees missed, on average, three days of work because of the flu
- Three out of four respondents indicated they were personally impacted by the flu last year
What can you do about this? You likely can require your employees to receive flu shots, unless an ADA disability or sincerely held religious belief precludes one from receiving the vaccine. Better yet, offer vaccinations free of charge to your employees, right in your workplace. The cost of the vaccines and a nurse to administer them will pay for itself if it keeps even one employee from missing work.
Here’s the rest of what I read this week:
Discrimination
- Dear Evil Skippy: An Employee Says She Will Sue If We Observe “Satan’s Halloween” — from Evil Skippy at Work
- Don't Forget About Religious Discrimination When Throwing Your Office Halloween Party — from Workplace Fairness
- Target Wants to Hire More Ex-Offenders? Minnesota-based Company is Banning the Box — from employeescreenIQ Blog
- How not to respond when an employee complains about sexual harassment — from Eric Meyer’s The Employer Handbook Blog
- Deaf Applicant’s Rights Violated, EEOC Says in Announcing ADA Settlement With Toys “R” Us — from Joe’s HR and Benefits Blog
Social Media & Workplace Technology
- On our wearable technological future workplace — from Steve Boese’s HR Technology
- Your Employees Are (Still) Stealing Your Data — from Molly DiBianca’s Delaware Employment Law Blog
- Anonymous Tweets Result in High Profile Termination — from netWORKed Lawyers
- What is the right social media policy for your company? — from Ragan.com
- This Map Shows State-by-State Penalties for Texting While Driving — from Lifehacker
- Ohio Teacher Goes On Racist Facebook Halloween Rant — from from Gawker
HR & Employee Relations
- “Yes, It’s Legal.” But Is It a Good Idea? — from Dan Schwartz’s Connecticut Employment Law Blog
- Motel-sex injury doesn’t merit workers’ compensation, Australian high court rules — from ABA Journal Daily News
- 8 HR Policies Every Startup Should Have in Place — from MonsterThinking
- 5 hiring practices you should stop today — from Ask a Manager
- Workplace “boo”-boos – when Halloween in the office gets scary — from HR idiot
- Enforceable Noncompete Agreement Key to $2 Million Judgment Against Former Employee — from Michigan Employment Law Advisor
- Trade Secret Protection: Tips for Protecting Your Company’s “Secret Sauce” — from In-house ACCess
Wage & Hour
- Indefinite Leave — from Work Place Coach Blog News
- Obamacare Individual Mandate Extension — from Phil Miles’s Lawffice Space
- FLSA Investigations Result In Criminal Convictions — from Wage and Hour Laws Blog
Labor Relations
- Rule Against Non-Union Workplace “Disruptions” Can Run Afoul of NLRA — from Currents: Hot Topics in Employment Law
- Employees with Smartphones: An Employer’s Nightmare; the NLRB’s Dream — from Matt Austin Labor Law