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. Fun fact — I saw that last tweet come through while I was sitting in a board meeting and snort-laughed out loud.
Friday, October 29, 2021
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. Fun fact — I saw that last tweet come through while I was sitting in a board meeting and snort-laughed out loud.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, October 22, 2021
WIRTW #601: the “What’s in your queue?” edition
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Friday, October 15, 2021
WIRTW #600: the “Here, there, and every … where” edition
This week I rejoined my good friends Marc Alifanz and Kate Bischoff on the Hostile Work Environment podcast to discuss the Season 2 finale of Ted Lasso.
Spoiler alert: you should absolutely avoid listening until you complete Season 2. We discussed the employment law and human resources beats we saw in the episode, including Nate's descent into darkness, the fallout of Sam's big choice, and the actions of Trent Crimm, Independent. You'll also hear talk of mannequins, sky diving, and arugula.
Find it wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.
Here are the best things I read online this past week that I think you should be reading, too.For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, October 8, 2021
WIRTW #599: the “34” edition
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Friday, October 1, 2021
WIRTW #598: the “Would you rather?” edition
As workplace vaccine mandates continue to dominate the headlines, employees continue to threaten to quit their jobs if forced to get jabbed as a condition of their employment.
Whether that threat is sincere or idle makes a huge difference to employers in the most difficult hiring and labor market of our lifetimes. If employees will really quit when faced with a vaccine mandate by their employers, then those employers need to think long and hard over whether to implement the mandate and risk creating job vacancies that they cannot fill.
Thus, over on my LinkedIn page, I've been running a short, one-question survey to determine employees' attitudes about vaccine mandates.
If your employer is mandating the Covid vaccine, would you rather get fired or get the shot?
Please click here to go to the survey and offer your opinion on this single, multiple-choice question. I'll share the results early next week.
Here are the best things I read online this past week that I think you should be reading, too.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, September 24, 2021
WIRTW #597: the “Sorry Antivaxxer” edition
If you've visited me on LinkedIn or Twitter (and if we're not connected on both, please fix that immediately), you may have noticed I describe myself in my bios as the "Master of Workplace Schadenfreude." What is Schadenfreude? It's a German word that is most commonly translated as "enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others." My research, however, reveals that it has as many as four different potential philosophical underpinnings, which I've synthesized as the following: Taking joy in someone else getting what they deserve because of who they are or what they've done, and celebrating that you're not in their shoes.
No matter how you define it, today's share is dripping with Schadenfreude.
Meet sorryantivaxxer.com, a repository of stories of anti-vaxxers who, because of their own un-sound and stubborn beliefs, needlessly died or came close to dying from Covid. It's a who's who of right-wing pundits, QAnon cultists and other fanatics, religious leaders and zealots, and even health care providers, all of whom opposed, shunned, or spoke out against the Covid vaccine and paid the ultimate price as a result.
Any death is sad, but what's especially sad about these is that each was almost 100 percent preventable if they had just done the one thing that could have prevented them from dying from Covid—taking the damn shot.
Please don't end up on sorryantivaxxer.com. If you're not yet vaccinated, do as soon as possible. Serious illness and death is almost entirely preventable. But you do need to join the 182 million of us who are fully vaccinated.
Here are the best things I read online this past week that I think you should be reading, too.For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, September 17, 2021
WIRTW #596: the “Waterloo" edition
It was a busy week in the Hyman house last week, with middle school soccer games and rock 'n' roll gigs all over town for my kids. I'm happy to report that Donovan led his team to a hard-fought 3-3 tie in his first-ever sports event of any kind (which he followed up with a 13-0 romp). Okay, led might be a tad strong. He played, and that’s all that matters.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, September 10, 2021
WIRTW #595: The “future of paid leave" edition
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Friday, September 3, 2021
WIRTW #594: the “three fests and a wine bar” edition
If you're in Northeast Ohio, let me suggest four ways for you to spend your time over the next couple of weeks — all involving my daughter and live music.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, August 27, 2021
WIRTW #593 (the “18 and life” edition)
17 years and 363 days ago, I married the love of my life. In two days, we'll celebrate our 18th anniversary.
The number 18 is significant. In Hebrew, each letter has a numerical value. The number 10 is the letter Yod, and the number 8 is the letter Het. Het-Yod spells the word Chai (חי), which translates in English to "life."
Chai is a perfect allegory for marriage. Life is not perfect, and neither is a marriage. Both have their ups and their downs. But, if you can find that someone with whom you not only enjoy the ups but can ride out the downs and come out the other side, you've done well.
I've done very, very well. Happy 18 Colleen.
Here's what I read this week:
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, August 20, 2021
WIRTW #592 (the “welcome back” edition)
Covid has taken a lot from us. One of the things it robbed from this space is its weekly "What I'm Reading This Week" ("WIRTW") feature. For 591 pre-Covid Fridays, I published a list of the best workplace-related things I read on the Internet that past week.
Today (and hopefully for every Friday from this point forward), I am delighted to bring this feature back from its pandemic slumber.
Here is the 592nd edition of What I Read This Week.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, March 13, 2020
WIRTW #591 (the “new (ab)normal” edition)
This has been one strange and disorienting week. I haven’t felt this disjointed since 9/11.
No basketball (pro or college).
No hockey.
No baseball.
No James Bond.
No large scale concert tours.
No Broadway shows or Disney parks.
No St. Patrick’s Day parades.
No Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions.
And, in Ohio, no mass gatherings of more than 100 people (to include auditoriums, stadiums, arenas, large conference rooms, meeting halls, cafeterias, or any other confined indoor or outdoor space, but not offices, restaurants, factories, or retail or grocery stores). And no school at least for the next three weeks.
And, to top it off, Tom freakin’ Hanks has coronavirus (my personal breaking point).
So what now? Our new normal is very abnormal. And it’s going to stay this way, at least for the immediate future.
As it stands, the best advice remains to practice social distances, stay home if you’re ill, follow the recommended hand washing and other “good hygiene” protocols, and don’t travel unless you absolutely (and I mean absolutely) have to.
Finally, above all else, please be flexible, understanding, and kind. If there was ever a time to prioritize the human issues, it’s now. Illnesses, quarantines, and closed schools will strain the workplace. I promise you that they are straining your employees more. The more nimble and empathetic we can be, the less this will hurt.
One last thing. When the time comes (and it will come) when we can resume our pre-coronavirus lives, get out and support small businesses, live music, the travel industry, and everyone else whose livelihood was impacted by COVID-19. They are really going to need it.
Here’s what I read this week:
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, March 6, 2020
WIRTW #590 (the “win some, lose some” edition)
Life is often about competition. For example, I litigate for a living. Trials have winners and losers. We also compete for jobs, for college admissions, and for sports titles. And competition requires a winner and some losers.
Some things, however, we do just for the experience, even if that experience is built around competition.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, February 28, 2020
WIRTW #589 (the “Coronavirus” edition)
Does the Coronavirus freak you out? Do you think it’s the beginning of the end for the human race, way over-hyped by the media, or somewhere in between? I’m in the “somewhere in between camp,” but it doesn’t mean that your business shouldn’t be preparing for the inevitable when this virus starts clustering in the US.
Thus, I’ve gathered the best thoughts on how to prepare from some of the best bloggers around the internet.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, February 21, 2020
WIRTW #588 (the “new voices” edition)
One of the benefits participating in the Tri-C High School Rock Off is that your band gets featured in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s “New Voices in Rock” video series. One of the benefits of advancing to the Finals is that your band gets featured a lot more in said video. So, without further adieu, I bring you Fake ID’s contribution to the Rock Hall’s “New Voices in Rock” series.
The Finals are next Saturday night, February 29. Tickets are only $12 (including Rock Hall admission) and are available here. Aside from Fake ID participating, it really is one of Northeast Ohio's best music events of the year.
Here’s what I read this week:
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, February 14, 2020
WIRTW #587 (the “joy” edition)
Here’s what I read this week:
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Friday, February 7, 2020
WIRTW #586 (the “silos” edition)
Yesterday, Suzanne Lucas (aka the Evil HR Lady), asked a question about corporate jargon.
One of my least favorite corporate jargon-isms? “Stay in your lane.” It suggests that we only do that which we do best, and not veer into areas outside of our comfort zone.
Why not? New and different lead to learning and creativity.
Comfort zones are boring. They can lead to staleness and silos.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, January 31, 2020
WIRTW #585 (the “demos” edition)
My daughter’s band, Fake ID, just recorded demos of a few of their original songs. Check them out on Soundcloud; they’d really appreciate it.
They will be performing some of these songs live at the Rock Hall tomorrow night for the first round of the Tri-C High School Rock Off. Fake ID is officially sold out of their ticket allotment (on behalf of the band, a big thank you to all who bought tickets), but they are still available through the Rock Hall’s box office, and will be sold at the door on the night of the event on a first-come-first-served basis. Cleveland.com calls the Rock Off “one of the most important — and best — musical events in Northeast Ohio.” Having attended in years past, I can vouch. It’s a fun night, with creative kids showing off their musical chops in a great venue (even if Norah’s not on stage).
Here’s what I read this week.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, January 24, 2020
WIRTW #584 (the “He’s not the Messiah” edition)
We’ve sadly reached the point in history at which legends of the entertainment world are going to start passing. Someday, we’ll lose Paul, and Betty, and Mick. And the world will gasp, and mourn, and remember. This week was one of those weeks.
We lost Terry Jones, one of the founding members of Monty Python. He was a comedy genius, most famous for depicting middle-aged housewives, usually with hilariously falsetto voices. One of those housewives, Brian’s mom in Life of Brian, uttered one of the greatest lines in movie history—”He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy.”
I discovered Monty Python’s Flying Circus as a pre-teen, late at night on our local PBS station. Staying up late to watch it made me feel part of a special, subversive cult. Flying Circus is now readily available, on Netflix, BBC America, and IFC, I’m joyfully introducing it to my 11-year-old son, who loves all things silly. And above all else, Python was always silly.
And Jones’s characters were some of the silliest. The nude organ player. Cardinal Biggles of the Spanish Inquisition. Mr. Creosote, the obese and vomiting diner in Meaning of Life. Holy Grail‘s Sir Bedevere. And Brian’s mum.
Rest in peace, Terry Jones. The world is better for all of the laughs you brought through the characters you created, and skits and movies you birthed.
Here’s what I read this week.
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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Friday, January 17, 2020
WIRTW #583 (the “Portugal (not the man)” edition)
Last year I asked y’all to share your tips on travel to Italy. And you came through. So, I thought I’d try again this year, with Portugal. We’ll be there for 8 days in late March, and are planning to visit Lisbon, Sintra, and Porto.
If you’ve been—
- What other towns are worth visiting?
- Can’t miss things to see and do?
- Must eat foods / restaurants?
Thanks! I figure it never hurts to crowdsource your vacation planning.
Here’s what I read this week:
For more information, contact Jon at (440) 695-8044 or JHyman@Wickenslaw.com.
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