Announcing THE WORST EMPLOYER OF 2017

The day has finally arrived. It’s time to announce the Worst Employer of 2017.

To remind you, we had three finalists in contention for this … honor:

Today is your last day to vote for the WORST EMPLOYER OF 2017

If you have not yet voted for the Worst Employer of 2017, your time is running very short. The polls close at 11 pm today.

Who is your favorite?

• The Cancerous Boss — company fires employee who needs a 10-day leave of absence for cancer surgery; tells him she doesn’t “need people with cancer working in her office”

• The Racist Boss — employer that gifts an African American employee a confederate flag purse as a Christmas gift after she had complained about harassment

• The Horny Head of HR — employer ignores employee’s complaints about the HR head’s lascivious conduct and inappropriate text messages; tells him, “I hope you’re not going to sue me,” while nibbling on his ear

Vote now at www.surveymonkey.com/r/worstemployer.

I’ll announce the big winner (or the big loser, depending on your perspective) next week.

I am honored to have been the first ever guest on the Hostile Work Environment podcast

Have you cast your vote yet for the Worst Employer of 2017?

Whether your answer is “Yes,” “Not yet”, or “What are you talking about,” I recommend you listen to the latest installment of the Hostile Work Environment podcast (available today).

I was honored be the first guest ever on what has quickly become one of my favorite podcasts. (Thanks to Marc and Dennis!)

The Worst Employer of 2017: The Finalists

I started this journey all the way back on January 12, 2017, in a post discussing an employer who fired a man absent while attending his son’s birth.

This poll of the year’s worst employers seemed like a fun way to illustrate how employers shouldn’t act. Your response suggests that I might be on to something.

Almost one year and nearly 600 votes later, we’ve cut the 23 nominees down to these three finalists (in alphabetical order):

Today is your last day to vote in the preliminary round for the “Worst Employer of 2017”

Today is your last day to vote in the preliminary round for the “Worst Employer of 2017.”

Voting in the cut-down round has been robust, with nearly 600 votes cast to date.

That said, there have been three clear leaders since day one.

Yet, several others are within a few votes of squeaking into the finals.

So, what are you waiting for? If you haven’t voted, click here and vote.

Polls close at 11 pm, and will re-open next Wednesday for one final round of voting on the three (or more?) finalists.

VOTE for the ‘Worst Employer of 2017’ — polls are open

The day for which you’ve waited all year has finally arrived.

It’s your opportunity to help pick the Worst Employer of 2017.

The 23rd nominee for the “worst employer of 2017” is … the cake boss

As we wind down the year toward voting to name the first annual “Worst Employer of the Year,” I thought I had all bases covered. Then I read this story on Buzzfeed:

This Teen Says Her Chili’s Manager Sexually Harassed Her, And Her Coworkers Threw A Party To Shame Her

The 22nd nominee for the “worst employer of 2017” is … the wage absconder

Suppose you decide you are not going to pay your employees minimum wage and overtime required by the Fair Labor Standards Act. And let’s further say that the department of labor investigates your wage and hour practices and fines you to the tune of $1.95 million for the unpaid wages.

Do you—

1. Figure out how to pay the fine?
2. File bankruptcy and wrap yourself in its protections in an attempt to save as much of your assets as possible?
3. Transfer assets to family members to create an appearance of insolvency and inability to pay the fine?

Updated: The 21st nominee for the “worst employer of 2017” is … the Whata(alleged)racist

It has been 53 years since Congress banned racial discrimination in employment. You’d think by now that all employers would know that you cannot hire an employee expressly based on their race.

Yet, how does one explain this lawsuit, recently filed against Whataburger?

The 20th nominee for the “worst employer of 2017” is … the nepotism harasser

Just when I think I’ve hit rock bottom with my survey of the year’s worst employers…

The EEOC reports that it has sued an Illinois IHOP franchisee for sexual harassment. While the allegations are bad, what makes this case worse is the allegation that the store owner ignored his employees’ complaints because the accused harasser was a close relative.

The 19th nominee for the “worst employer of 2017” is … the pizza punisher

Your 19th nominee for the worst employer of 2017 is a Jacksonville, Florida, Pizza Hut franchisee that threatened its employees if they skipped work because of Hurricane Irma.

The 18th nominee for the “worst employer of 2017” is … the pumping preventer

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a six-figure verdict in favor of a Stephanie Hicks, a former narcotics task force investigator for the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, police department. She sued, and won, after her former employer refused to permit her to pump her breast milk after returning from maternity leave.

The 17th nominee for the “worst employer of 2017” is … the square non-sparer

A female public relations exec is suing her former employer for sex discrimination. Her claim—that her male bosses limited her access to toilet paper the bathroom because, as a female, she used more than her male counterparts, and was fired after she complained about the discrimination.

The 16th nominee for the “worst employer of 2017” is … the rapid retaliator

The EEOC has sued an Atlanta cemetery company for firing an employee the day after the agency interviewed her as part of an on-going investigation.

The 15th nominee for the “worst employer of 2017” is … the one-day leave denier

According to a lawsuit the EEOC recently filed against Macy’s, Inc., the retailer allegedly violated the ADA by firing an employee instead of granting her a one-day absence for a medical emergency.

The 14th nominee for the “worst employer of 2017” is … the horny head of HR

The 14th nominee for the worst employer of 2017, on which you'll be be voting at year's end, is perhaps the worst HR exec ever. If she's not the worst, she's at least the most libidinous.

From the New York Post:

The 13th nominee for the “worst employer of 2017” is … the racist boss

I couldn’t describe the 13th nominee for the worst employer of 2017 any better than CNN did in its story about this (alleged) peach of a boss:

The 12th nominee for the “worst employer of 2017” is … the parental stereotyper

Last week, Derek Rotondo, a dad of two young children, filed a sex discrimination charge with the EEOC against his employer of seven years, J.P. Morgan. Why? I’ll let Derek explain, in a blog he wrote for the ACLU. 

The 11th nominee for the “worst employer of 2017” is … the pregnant pause

The EEOC has taken a judgment of $118,483 against a New jersey debt collection firm in a pregnancy discrimination case. Why? Because the firm rescinded a job offer to a female employee after it learned that she was pregnant. 

That alone, however, will not earn one an employer a nomination for “Worst Employer of 2017.” I’ll let the EEOC explain further:

The 10th nominee for the “worst employer of 2017” is … guess who?

Let’s play a game. Close you eyes and imagine. Imagine you’re the CEO of a company. And let’s also imagine your VP of HR is investigating a former executive of the company (who happens to be close friend and confidant of yours) for illegal or unethical conduct. And imagine that you privately ask said VP of HR, on the down-low, if maybe he can give your good-guy buddy a pass and end his investigation.