I am recently back on the podcast wagon. For reasons that I never understood, I abandoned the platform as a media source a few years ago. But I’m back with a vengeance.
Here are the five podcasts to which I’ve been most listening lately (along with their official descriptions and my favorite recent episode of each):
1. James Bonding
Matt Gourley and Matt Mira love James Bond so much they decided to make a podcast about it. Each episode they invite a guest to dive deep into one movie from the greatest film franchise known to man.
Favorite recent episode: Cold Openings (Matt, Matt and James sit down and do a full ranking of every single James Bond movie’s pre-title sequence.)
2. My Favorite Murder
Lifelong fans of true crime stories Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark tell each other their favorite tales of murder and hear hometown crime stories from friends and fans.
Favorite recent episode: Hither and Yon (Karen and Georgia cover Jack Gilbert Graham and the Son Of Sam.)
3. Weird Work
The professional working world seems typical. At your desk by 9. Sneak out at 5. Sit in traffic. Do it all again tomorrow. But it’s a big world out there, and people’s lives (and livelihoods) are far weirder than we could have imagined. This podcast looks at all the jobs that leave us saying... “Wait, you make money doing that?”
Favorite recent episode: “I press human ashes into vinyl records.” (Jason Leach founded Andvinyly as a way to face his own mortality. He heard Hunter S. Thompson had his own ashes set off in fireworks, and Jason wondered how he could be best remembered. Then it hit him: Vinyl records.)
4. How Did This Get Made?
Have you ever seen a movie so bad that it’s amazing? Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas want to hear about it! We’ll watch it with our funniest friends, and report back to you with the results.
Favorite recent episode: My Stepmother Is An Alien (Stand-up comedian Whitney Cummings joins Paul, June, and Jason to discuss the 1988 comedy science fiction film My Stepmother Is an Alien.)
5. Sincerely, X
Some stories are too sensitive, painful or potentially damaging to share publicly -- unless they can be shared anonymously. TED and Audible present Sincerely, X: an original audio series featuring talks from speakers whose ideas deserve to be heard, but whose identities must remain hidden. The first season features a compelling program of victims, perpetrators, investigators, activists, empaths and more.
Favorite recent episode: Gifted Kid (A gifted child. A rough neighborhood. A teacher who knows how to break the cycle.)
What podcasts have you been listening to? Which am I missing? Share in the comments below.
Here’s what I read this week.
Discrimination
- “Overqualified,” or just too old? — via Robin Shea’s Employment & Labor Insider
- Watching porn at work doesn’t necessarily create a hostile work environment for others. — via Eric Meyer’s The Employer Handbook Blog
- Harvey Weinstein’s long history of sexual harassment allegations detailed, Ashley Judd among the accusers — via Consequence of Sound
- Transgender Employees Continue to be at the Center of Debate — via Oklahoma Employer’s Law Blog
- Exit Interview: Jenny Yang’s final days at the EEOC, and her hopes for its future — via HR Dive
- Ohio “Reverse” Racial Discrimination Ruling Reinforces Employers’ Advantage in Constructive Discharge Cases — via Currents
- Racial Harassment: EEOC Files Many More Cases — via FisherBroyles
- NFL and the ADA — via Bill Goren’s Understanding the ADA
- When Technology Becomes Weaponized and the Target is You — via Dan Schwartz’s Connecticut Employment Law Blog
- Fear Not: You, Too, Are a Cybercrime Victim! — via Krebs on Security
- 70% of employees don’t know enough about preventing cyber fraud — via HR Dive
- New CIS Cybersecurity Guide for Small and Medium Businesses — via Ride The Lightning
- Blockchain Could Help Us Reclaim Control of Our Personal Data — via Harvard Business Review
- I could delete my former employer’s website — should I? — via Ask a Manager
- CBS Fires Vice President Over Horrible Las Vegas Facebook Post — via Evil HR Lady, Suzanne Lucas
- Employers May Soon Base Hiring Decisions on Your Social Media Posts. Will They “Like” You? — via TalentCulture
HR & Employee Relations
- How to Manage Work Relationships Between Millennials and Gen Z: A guest post — via Mike Haberman’s Omega HR Solutions
- Why You Should Care About Workplace Bullying and What Can You Do About Workplace Bullying? — via The Emplawyerologist
- Is Bullying Harassment? — via Trade Secret / Noncompete Blog
Wage & Hour
- Five timekeeping issues employers should audit — via California Employment Law Report
- The other employment law SCOTUS cert. grant… — via Phil Miles’s Lawffice Space
- Seventh Circuit case demonstrates value of good time reporting procedures — via EmployerLINC
- Pet Insurance as an Employee Benefit — via TalentCulture
- Why? A Serious Health Condition under the FMLA – Part 3. — via Michigan Employment Law
Labor
- Class Waivers at the Divided Supreme Court: Employers Cautiously Optimistic — via Employment Law Lookout
- NLRB: Employers Can’t Have It Both Ways; You’re Either Union or Not — via Matt Austin Labor Law
- NLRB poised to roll back Obama era precedents — via CUE, Inc.
- Can A Union Lie To Workers? — via The Truth About Unions
- Will Mandatory Fees to Public Unions Survive? SCOTUS Set to Revisit the Issue — via Labor Relations
- Rep. Rosa DeLauro to OSHA: Hire more inspectors — via Safety + Health
- OSHA Announces Top Ten Violations — via OSHA Law Blog