Trigger warning: today’s post is not for everyone. If, however, you are offended by what I am about to say, then today’s post is specifically for you.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Government sanctioned discrimination is abhorrent and we, as a nation, should be ashamed
Trigger warning: today’s post is not for everyone. If, however, you are offended by what I am about to say, then today’s post is specifically for you.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Wednesday, August 14, 2019
You are DUMB if you threaten to fire employees who support labor unions, and even DUMBER if you tweet about it #barstool
Meet Dave Portnoy. He’s the editor of Barstool Sports, a website that I can only describe as having missed the memo entirely on #MeToo. Mr. Portnoy describes himself as: “El Presidente/3 time Bee Sting survivor. Heart attack survivor. 2019 #dipoff champion. Shot 4 under at Shinnecock. Worshipped like a 3rd world dictator.”
#yuck
Portnoy also holds some strong opinions, including about labor unions.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Tuesday, August 13, 2019
The law is a floor, not a ceiling: FMLA and IEP meetings
Rather than discuss the opinion letter in detail, I’ll instead direct you my blogging friends—Jeff Nowak, Suzanne Lucas, and Eric Meyer—each of whom covered this story over the past few days.
Instead, I want to use my space today to make a broader point about the law in general.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Monday, August 12, 2019
Do you know what to do if ICE shows up at your business?
Last week, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested nearly 700 immigrants as part of a series of raids at work-sites throughout Mississippi. The raids are part of the Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration.
* Photo Courtesy of ICE. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, August 9, 2019
WIRTW #563 (the “work in progress” edition)
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Thursday, August 8, 2019
Who owns intellectual property created for a company?
Which got me thinking … what rights does a company have to intellectual property created by an employee or an independent contractor?
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Wednesday, August 7, 2019
EEOC settlement teaches lesson on extended leaves of absence as ADA accommodation
An employee tells you that he was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and needs a few weeks off for treatment, surgery, and recovery. Assume either you’re not an FMLA-covered employer or that the employee is not FMLA eligible.
Do you?
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Tuesday, August 6, 2019
It is an inexcusable sin for an employer NOT to have an anti-discrimination policy
There are some employment policies that you can get away with not having. An anti-discrimination policy is not one of them.
In Hubbell v. FedEx SmartPost (decided yesterday by the 6th Circuit), FedEx learned this lesson the hard way.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Monday, August 5, 2019
Help me understand guns
This weekend was one of the deadliest on record ever for gun violence. Dozens were killed and more injured in separate shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.
So, today, I take a diversion from employment law to ask a simple question.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, August 2, 2019
WIRTW #562 (the “someday we’ll find it” edition)
When the whole world seems like it’s going to 💩 , sometimes all you need to brighten your spirits is a video of 🐸 singing about a 🌈.
So here’s Kermit the Frog (along with My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, and Janet Weiss, Sleater-Kinney’s ex-drummer) performing the Muppets’ classic, Rainbow Connection, from his surprise performance at last weekend’s Newport Folk Festival.
(I really want to find the two people who thumbs-downed this video on YouTube.)
Here’s what I read this week.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Thursday, August 1, 2019
When an employee’s religion clashes with an employer’s dress code
The case, Boyd v. Cooper University Hospital, is pending in federal court in New Jersey. While it’s just filed, and years from resolution, we can use it to learn how an employer should react when a employee dons religious garb in the workplace.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Do workplace bullies violate OSHA?
According to a study recently published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, bullying bosses make workplaces less safe.
Poor treatment from a boss can make employees feel that they’re not valued by a group. As a result, they can become more self-centered, leading them to occasionally forget to comply with safety rules or overlook opportunities to promote a safer work environment.
The headline made me think that if bullying contributes to an unsafe workplace, can it also violate OSHA? The answer is quite possibly yes.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Labor and employment lessons from the world’s most combative stripper
Different type of stripper |
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Monday, July 29, 2019
#MeToo hasn’t killed the office romance, just the inappropriate ones
According to the National Review, #MeToo killed the office romance.
It must be a brave soul who dares to strike up a flirtatious conversation at the workplace microwave these days. Only ten percent of Americans report having met their mate at the office, a level that is half what it was in the 1990s.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, July 26, 2019
WIRTW #561 (the “don’t call me flaky” edition)
According to The Economist, dads face greater workplace penalties for taking parental leaves than do moms.
Americans see taking a break to care for children as a sign of lower commitment to work and even flakiness. … Whereas mothers who take time off to rear offspring face difficulties when returning to work, opt-out fathers may fare worse, says Scott Behson, author of a book called “The Working Dad’s Survival Guide: How to Succeed at Work and at Home”. America has a workaholic culture, he says. Mothers who put their families first eschew that culture, resulting in costs to their careers. But fathers who do so are violating both the workaholic culture and traditional gender norms.
Here’s what I read this week:
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Thursday, July 25, 2019
Which mental health service does the FMLA not cover?
Yesterday, I discussed our national mental health crisis, and the important role employers play in removing barriers to employees receiving the help they need. Then, I came across this post on LinkedIn, discussing a massive barrier that the FMLA institutionally imposes.
An individual suffering with a mental health issue has various treatment and therapy options available to them. For medication, one can see a psychiatrist, a primary care physician, or a nurse practitioner. For assessment and therapy, one can see a psychologist, a clinical social worker, or a licensed professional counselor.
Amazingly, however, the FMLA does not recognize one of these licensed mental health professionals as a “health care provider.”
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Employee suicide is the next big workplace safety crisis
A recent headline at businessinsurance.com caught my eye:
It’s a pretty dramatic headline, but when you drill down into the statistics, it has a lot of weight.
- Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.
- Between the ages of 10 and 34, however, suicide is the second leading cause of death, and the fourth leading cause of death between the ages of 35 and 54.
- In 2017, 47,173 Americans died from suicide (more than double the number of homicide victims), and another 1.4 million attempted suicide.
- Between 2000 and 2016, the U.S. suicide rate among adults ages 16 to 64 rose 34 percent, from 12.9 deaths for every 100,000 people to 17.3 per 100,000.
- In 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics hit a record in its 25-year tally of workplace suicides at 291, with the number gradually climbing over the prior decade.
- The highest suicide rate among men was for workers in construction and mining jobs, with 53.2 deaths per 100,000 in 2015, up from 43.6 in 2012.
- The highest suicide rate among women was for workers in arts, design, entertainment, sports and media, with 15.6 deaths per 100,000 in 2015, up from 11.7 in 2012.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Tuesday, July 23, 2019
The 14th nominee for the “worst employer of 2019” is … the horrible harasser
And, as bad as that sounds, that description barely scratches the surface of what is actually alleged to have happened in this workplace.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Monday, July 22, 2019
Parental discrimination claims pose big risks for employers
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Friday, July 19, 2019
WIRTW #560 (the “more kindness” edition) #IChooseKindness
Yesterday, I asked you all to join me in choosing kindness, and talked about Richard Cook’s Don’t Hurt Anyone Project. Over on LinkedIn, Richard took the time to share his thoughts on my post, which I’m sharing with y’all here.
Hi Jon, I am all in for #IChooseKindness Go! It is wonderful to see so many supportive comments. As you mentioned, I started the #donthurtanyoneproject There are a confluence of factors that led me to create something that felt so quaint and yet so urgent. One was sitting in the crowded gate area of airports waiting for a delayed flight. In my former career I did a lot of that. Inevitably I had the opportunity to talk with quite a few individuals. Sometimes we shared many of the same perspectives. Others not so much. But never in the latter of those two categories did a person get up and move to the furthest seat from me or I the same. We didn’t shout over each other. We just talked. When boarding time came we exchanged courtesies, sometimes shook hands and a few times figured out if we could be seated together to keep talking. It was hard for me to reconcile the “Divided States of America” narrative. No doubt that Americans disagree. However, I would suggest that for every ugly incident or rant that makes the news, there are far more that stop to help a motorist with a flat, make room in their family for a foster child or volunteer to help those struggling. Those people don’t ask for recognition but we need their energy. Urgently.
Let me know that you are choosing kindness by dropping a comment below, or by sharing your thoughts on any of your social channels with the hashtag #IChooseKindness.
Here’s what I read this week:
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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