Must you tell employees when you are surveilling their devices?
It’s unusual these days for an employee not to have a device issued by their employer, or on which they can access their employer’s infor...
Archive: October 2019
“Tone down your gayness” = $20 million
By Jon Hyman
A jury has awarded a St. Louis County police officer nearly $20 million over allegations that his superiors repeatedly denied him a promot...
6 tips to avoid turning your costume party into an HR nightmare
By Jon Hyman
Even this Halloween Scrooge can get into the spirit Halloween is this week. Truth be told, Halloween is one of my least favorite hol...
The 18th nominee for the “worst employer of 2019” is … the fecal loving fast-food manager
By Jon Hyman
Kari Phillips did not feel well when she awoke prior to her shift at an Oregon City, Oregon, McDonald’s. She called the restaurant to requ...
WIRTW #574 (the “hero” edition)
By Jon Hyman
What's a hero? I'm not sure how to define one, but I certainly know one when I see one. And earlier this week, I got to see one. ...
OSHA publishes new guidance on distracted driving
By Jon Hyman
The reaction time of someone texting while driving is 35 percent worse than someone driving without any distractions. Compare that figure ...
Is this the worst defense ever to a discrimination claim?
By Jon Hyman
Litigation is painful. It takes a lot of time, costs a lot of money, and has lots of variables that you just can’t control. Especially whe...
What’s really at stake when the Supreme Court decides LGBTQ rights under Title VII
By Jon Hyman
Sometime next Spring the Supreme Court will announce its decision on whether Title VII’s prohibition against sex discrimination implicitly...
My dog was victim-blamed … and I don’t like it
By Jon Hyman
On Friday, Dante, our five-month-old puppy, was attacked while in the (what we thought was the) safety our our fenced-in yard. New neighbo...
WIRTW #573 (the “last laugh” edition)
By Jon Hyman
When I go, I hope I have enough forethought to go out like this. A dead man pranked his family at his own funeral by using a recording ...
New EEOC case is a not-so-subtle reminder that we still have a lot of work to do to improve race relations
By Jon Hyman
The allegations in this case —which the EEOC just filed against a Louisiana river transporter—remind us that while race relations have imp...
A dramatic retelling of the 17th nominee for the worst employer of 2019
By Jon Hyman
Click here for the full story .
The 17th nominee for the “worst employer of 2019” is … the mauling manager
By Jon Hyman
I don’t even know what to say about today’s nominee for 2019’s worst employer, so I’ll just let Newsweek do the heavy lifting . A Pakista...
Poor taste does not amount to prohibited sexual harassment.
By Jon Hyman
I once made the mistake of watching an episode of Orange is the New Black on an airplane. The guy sitting behind was very uncomfortably ...
The 16th nominee for the “worst employer of 2019” is … the shameful wall builder
By Jon Hyman
If you’re a health care facility whose employees erect a “wall of shame” of disabled patients, and then you drag your feet when an employ...
WIRTW #572 (the “what did I miss” edition)
By Jon Hyman
Did I miss anything big while I was away earlier this week? Argument analysis: Justices divided on federal protections for LGBT employe...
A little kindness goes a LONG way
By Jon Hyman
Earlier this week I was in Philadelphia with my family for my son’s cardiac procedure. During our visit, we stayed at the Sonesta Philadelph...
WIRTW #571 (the “thoughts and prayers” edition)
By Jon Hyman
I’ll be offline next week, as my family will be in Philadelphia for my son’s heart procedure. Donovan was born with pulmonary valve stenos...
If at first you don’t succeed … Ohio will again try to fix its broken employment discrimination law
By Jon Hyman
For lack of more artful description, Ohio’s employment discrimination law is an awful mess. Among other problems, it exposes employers t...
The 15th nominee for the “worst employer of 2019” is … the disability demoter
By Jon Hyman
An employee tells you he might need to leave work on a moment’s notice to rush home to care for his disabled daughter (born with a severe ...
Why are so many employers discriminating against lactating moms?
By Jon Hyman
Women were told to pump in their manager’s office or a meeting room without locks, where they were walked in on repeatedly. Many had to p...