WIRTW #602: the “Where’s the beef?” edition
How'd your Wednesday go? Me? I got into a beef on Twitter with a fictional character, which ended with him telling me to go wax my head...
Archive: October 2021
Coronavirus Update 10-28-2021: EEOC publishes its own internal Religious Accommodation Request form
By Jon Hyman
"Jon, we have so many employees asking us for religious accommodations from our workplace Covid rules, including our vaccine mandate. ...
Paid family and medical leave reportedly DROPPED from Biden’s economic plan
By Jon Hyman
I was so hopeful when I learned that Presiden Biden's economic plan included paid family and medical leave. Then we heard reports that t...
Coronavirus Update 10-27-2021: No, employers, you can’t fire employees who complain about Covid health and safety issues
By Jon Hyman
An employee sends this email to all of his coworkers: "It has come to my attention that an employee has tested positive for COVID-19. I...
Coronavirus Update 10-26-2021: EEOC updated Covid-19 technical guidance to address religious vaccine objections
By Jon Hyman
Religious accommodations to vaccine mandates continue to be the number one issue occupying the time and energy of HR practitioners and emplo...
Coronavirus Update 10-25-2021: Lawsuits challenging employer vaccine mandates are borderline frivolous
By Jon Hyman
More than 130 employees of the City of Chicago have filed a lawsuit against their employer challenging its Covid-19 vaccine mandate. CNN ha...
WIRTW #601: the “What’s in your queue?” edition
By Jon Hyman
Ted Lasso has no new episodes until next August. I binged Squid Game a couple of weeks ago. I need something new to fill my nights on the ...
Coronavirus Update 10-21-2021: Nick Rolovich v. Pope Francis
By Jon Hyman
Compare the following two statements, and then let's talk. 1. "It is a tragic and damning commentary on our culture … that Coach Ro...
Coronavirus Update 10-20-2021: How to spot a fake vaccine card
By Jon Hyman
The NHL has suspended San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane 21 games for violating the League's Covid-19 protocol. His offense: supplyin...
“Striketober” highlights union organizing concerns for Ohio craft breweries
By Jon Hyman
One of the unexpected byproducts of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is a corresponding rise in union organizing and other union-related activi...
Netflix’s termination of the organizer of a trans employee walkout very well might be legal
By Jon Hyman
Late Friday, The Verge reported that Netflix fired one of the leaders of an internal trans employee resource group who was organizing an em...
UPDATE: HIPAA (mis)information and the Covid vaccine
By Jon Hyman
Earlier this week I wrote about a national payroll provider that shared some very incorrect information about an employer’s HIPAA responsib...
WIRTW #600: the “Here, there, and every … where” edition
By Jon Hyman
This week I rejoined my good friends Marc Alifanz and Kate Bischoff on the Hostile Work Environment podcast to discuss the Season 2 finale...
Coronavirus Update 10-14-2021: We still don’t know what OSHA’s vaccine standard says … but we’re getting closer
By Jon Hyman
Late Tuesday, news broke that OSHA had submitted in vaccine mandate Emergency Temporary Standard to the White House’s Office of Informatio...
Coronavirus Update 10-13-2021: Unfortunately I need to keep clarifying misconceptions about HIPAA
By Jon Hyman
I came across the following information on the website of a prominent national payroll provider: Q: In what ways can/should HR departments ...
Coronavirus Update 10-12-21: A prior Covid infection is not a defense to an employer’s vaccine mandate
By Jon Hyman
"I don't need the vaccine; I've already had Covid and have superior natural immunity " is a popular refrain from some peop...
Coronavirus Update 10-11-21: World Mental Health Day
By Jon Hyman
Yesterday was World Mental Health Day. It was also day 579 of the Covid-19 pandemic. Covid-19 has altered all of our lives; all employees a...
WIRTW #599: the “34” edition
By Jon Hyman
Ask any litigant who has had the (dis)pleasure of being a party to civil litigation in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas for their o...
Coronavirus Update 10-7-21: EEOC brings its first pandemic-related lawsuit over a denied WFH accommodation
By Jon Hyman
The fact that an employer temporarily excused performance of one or more essential functions when it closed the workplace and enabled employ...
Employment law lessons from “Ted Lasso” — Let’s talk about medical confidentiality
By Jon Hyman
The penultimate episode of Season 2 of Ted Lasso ended with an absolute gut-punch of a cliffhanger. ( Spoiler Alert — Turn Back Now If You...
Coronavirus Update 10-5-21: Would you rather? Get fired? Or get the Covid-19 vaccine?
By Jon Hyman
Last week I asked a simple question on LinkedIn : If your employer is mandating the Covid vaccine, would you rather get fired or get the sh...
Whistleblowing and self-help discovery: lessons from Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistleblower
By Jon Hyman
"Can she do that?" That was the question my wife asked me as we watched last night's interview of Frances Haugen, the Facebook...
WIRTW #598: the “Would you rather?” edition
By Jon Hyman
As workplace vaccine mandates continue to dominate the headlines, employees continue to threaten to quit their jobs if forced to get jabbed ...