On December 25, I will turn 18 in Christmas years. My wife and I starting dating in October 2001, and we celebrated our first Christmas together two months later. I LOVE Christmas. I joke with my wife that I married her for Christmas. I love the lights, the tree, the family togetherness, the snow, and the overall peaceful spirit of the holiday.
And the music. I love Christmas music. Which is why this year, I'm thrilled that I get to combine my favorite holiday with my favorite band.
Today, Old 97's released "Love the Holidays," a collection of twangy Christmas tunes to fill your ears and your soul with yuletide joy.
Take a listen to the exquisitely beautiful "Snow Angels," a song that seeks togetherness in these troubled times, and calls for us to find that which binds us instead of that which us divides us.
Look to your left, look to your right
Everyone of us is a beam of light.
Together, we’re strong. There’s no need to fight.
Everyone of us is a beam of light.
I also dare you not to imagine snow falling outside you window as you listen to the imagery this tune invokes.
The blog is off next week, as I'll be home getting ready for, and then celebrating, my other favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. But, come back the week after when I'll announce the finalists for the Worst Employer of 2018 (have you voted yet?), and take us through the year's home stretch.
Here's what I read this week:
Discrimination
- Convincing CEOs to Make Harassment Prevention a Priority — via Harvard Business Review
- EEOC, Employees Continue to See Success in Disability Cases — via HR Hero Line
- How to Combat Transphobia in the Workplace — via EntertainHR
- Facebook is ending forced arbitration for sexual harassment complaints — via The Verge
Technology
- Email? Generation Z doesn't use it, and doesn't want it — via Workplace Diva
- Employee Email Etiquette Best Practices — via The HR Gazette
- RyanAir fires crew over viral fake photo — via Ragan.com
- 2018 On Track to Be One of the Worst Ever for Data Breaches and To Click or Not to Click: The Answer Is Easy — via Dark Reading
- Income, tax and immigration data stolen in Healthcare.gov breach — via Engadget
- NIST Begins Developing Voluntary Online Privacy Framework — via Ride The Lightning
- Are GDPR Fines and Penalties Insurable? — via The D & O Diary
HR & Employee Relations
- Episode 52 – Sometimes You Should Just Shut the Fork Up (Live from PNERF 11-8-18) — via Marc Alifanz's and Dennis Westlind's Hostile Work Environment Podcast
- The White House Shouldn’t Have Revoked Jim Acosta’s Credentials because CNN Should Have Fired Him First — via Evil HR Lady, Suzanne Lucas
- Time for Smarter Employer-based Immigration Policies — via Next Blog
- Which Should I Hire: 1099 Contractor vs. Employee — via Newton Software Blog
Wage & Hour
- What Do You Say If Your Contractor Wants to Be Paid In Bitcoin? — via TLNT
- Employers Face Questions, Take Proactive Steps On Amazon Minimum Wage Increase — via ERC Insights Blog
- There Might Be a Way to Settle that Wage and Hour Claim After All… — via The EmpLAWerologist Blog
- Do You Pay Overtime for On-Call Work? A Cautionary Tale — via Currents
- DOL Eliminates Employer-Plaguing “80/20” Tip Credit Rule — via Wage and Hour Law Update
- Like Uber, But For Kids — via Gig Employer Blog
- Your 11-month employee just requested FMLA leave. Can you fire her before leave begins in the 12th month? — via Eric Meyer's The Employer Handbook Blog
Labor
- Proposed Changes to Union Election Rules on Tap at NLRB — via Bloomberg Law
- NLRB Union Protests Board Chair and GC — via The Employment Brief
- Gloves-Off: NLRB Union Staffers Protest Trump Board — via Labor Relations
OSHA & Safety
- Meet Your Law Firm’s New Director of Lawyer Well-Being — via Attorney at Work
- What to Do When You Go “AH-CHOO!” An Employer’s Guide for Dealing with Infectious Diseases — via Workplace Safety and Environmental Law Alert Blog
- Safety at Work: Staying aware of Occupational Health Risks — via Mike Haberman's Omega HR Solutions
- More employers turning to mass notification systems for emergency preparedness — via HR Dive