Unions: fad or trend?

Last Friday I joined my good friend Eric Meyer via Zoom on his weekly Employer Handbook Zoom Office Happy Hour. Our topic: whether the recent rise in union popularity and success is a fad or a trend. 

If you missed it live, you can watch the video replay via The Employer Handbook YouTube Channel.

And if you're the kind of person who wants to hear more of my voice (and who isn't?), then please check out this week's episode of The Norah and Dad Show, the podcast I co-host with my daughter. It's available via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Amazon Music, Stitcher, the web, and everywhere else you find podcasts.

Have you listened to Labor Relatedly yet?

Over the past few years, I've toyed with the idea of launching my own legal podcast. Two things have held me back. First, I don't really want to add another "thing" for me to manage. Secondly, other people ask me to guest on their podcasts and I feel like I'm getting enough bang for the podcasting buck that the added time of recording and producing my own show wouldn't justify any additional return.

Thus, I jumped at the chance when my friend Michael VanDervort asked if I wanted to join his existing podcast, DriveThruHR, as a recurring co-host to discuss all things labor relations in light of current and historic rise in union organizing. 

Explaining the “Golden Age of Union Organizing”

Unions aren't just having a moment, they are having their best moment in at least 50 years.

• What has caused the "perfect storm" of union organizing that employers are currently experiencing?
• How have the White House's policies impacted unionization and collective bargaining?
• What explains the trend of smaller, "in-house" unions, such as those seen at Starbucks and Amazon?
• How should employers assess their labor strategies in response to these changes?

This week, I joined the ProjectHR Podcast to discuss The Golden Age of Union Organizing, the forces that are helping to cause it, and how employers should be responding and reacting.

Here's a preview of what you'll hear in the episode.

You can listen to the entire episode here, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What was your worst job ever?

The year was 1989. It was the summer between my junior and senior years in high school. I worked as a busboy in the dining room of an assisted living facility. It paid $7 an hour, which was a great wage 33 years ago. 

Clearing tables, however, wasn't the only job duty. Part of my job was to "drive" non-ambulatory residents from their apartments to the dining room for dinner. One resident in particular — who, in hindsight, almost certainly suffered from some form of dementia — would answer her door completely nude. But that wasn't what made that summer job my worst job ever.

Vacation (all I ever wanted) — 7 tips to encourage your employees to use their paid time off

"AITA for turning my work phone off on vacation?" That's the question that someone recently posted on the eponymous subreddit.

The recently promoted employee disconnected during his vacation. During a moment of downtime, he powered up his work phone, only to find this voicemail from his new manager, demanding to know why he wasn't zooming in for meetings.

I checked my phone voicemail and the unknown number was him saying he "hoped there was a damn good excuse for why I was off the grid" if I wanted to keep my job. He even started out the voicemail with "I'm so sorry you’re in the hospital because that's the only reason I should be needing to hunt you down like this." In slack I had a few dms from coworkers I feel I get along with saying I need to reply ASAP because my absence was impacting them with how mad our boss was.

No, he's not the a***ole.

What do you do for a living?

The question, "What do you do for a living," doesn't have a straight-line answer. My law firm bio offers several answers. 

There is a lot to unpack in that bio.

Jon and the Social Media Pub Crawl

A big thank you to Allessandria Polizzi for having me as a guest on her Be Verdant Podcast. We took a 40-minute tour through the state of employment law and employee relations in early 2022. She called in a "pub crawl" since we quickly hit a bunch of issues instead of spending our time together taking a deep dive into just one. It was fun to record and a fun listen.

Enjoy. 

Find it embedded below or wherever you get your podcasts.

A very special episode of The Norah and Dad Show, talking about teen mental health

I recently asked you, my readers, followers, and friends, for a favor. I asked you to take a moment to hug your kids a little stronger and a little longer. What I didn't tell you was why I was asking that of you.

Today I'm sharing the rest of the story. Except it's not my story to tell. It's my daughter's.

Who are this year’s crop of nominees for The Worst Employer of 2021? Check out today’s episode of Hostile Work Environment to find out.

I had the pleasure of guesting on this week's episode of my favorite employment law podcast, Hostile Work Environment, hosted by my good friends, Marc Alifanz and Kate Bischoff. In what is becoming an annual tradition, they had to me on to discuss this year's crop of Worst Employer nominees. I walk through all 8. 

Thus, if you need a refresher before you cast your vote, I highly recommend heading to your podcast app of choice, searching for "Hostile Work Environment," downloading the Dec. 14 episode (entitled, "Jon Hyman Puts Out A Lot"), and subscribing to their show if for some odd reason you haven't yet done so. 

And please VOTE for this year's Worst Employer. Polls remain open until Monday, Dec. 20, at 11:45 pm.

The Norah and Dad Show podcast is live and ready for your downloads

Today is a very exciting day for me. Today is the official launch of The Norah and Dad Show podcast.

It started a month or so ago when Norah (my 15-year-old daughter) and I recorded a guest episode of Rockin' the Suburbs (which you can listen to this Friday). "Dad," Norah said, "We should start a podcast." Never one to discount the wishes of a teenager to spend time with a parent, I quickly agreed, and The Norah and Dad Show was born.