New York Times on workplace smoking bans
Last week, the New York Times reported on a growing trend in the medical profession: hospitals and other health care providers that refuse ...
A special circle of hell is reserved for lawyers that don’t extend professional courtesies
By Jon Hyman
I write this post to vent, not to indict. I therefore withhold the names of the guilty. For those that do not follow me on twitter , I’ve ...
WIRTW #164 (the you give love a bad name edition)
By Jon Hyman
In honor of Valentine’s Day, Vault.com published the results of its annual office romance survey. The highlights: 59% have participate...
The asshole defense to harassment claims
By Jon Hyman
Fortunately or unfortunately, not all upsetting or even mean-spirited conduct in the workplace is actionable. In the absence of an employ...
Would you rather?
By Jon Hyman
Career Overview’s list of the 25 most difficult jobs in the world caught my eye. So, to you, my readers, I pose the following question: Wou...
Avoid “kitchen sink” pleading to maintain credibility
By Jon Hyman
Ramadan v. MetroHealth Med. Ctr. (Ohio Ct. App. 1/13/11) is a medical malpractice case, which is an odd fit for a blog about employment la...
Despite yesterday’s NLRB settlement, employees do not get a free pass on social media posts
By Jon Hyman
The NLRB announced yesterday that it has reached a settlement in a case involving a Connecticut employee fired for posting negative comments...
The most significant penny in the history of American jurisprudence? 6th Circuit remands case over one cent
By Jon Hyman
What caused the court in Freeland v. Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co. (6th Cir. 2/4/11) [pdf] to write so eloquently about the fate of th...
WIRTW #163 (the all good things must come to and end edition)
By Jon Hyman
I’m sorry to leave you all alone you’re sitting silent by the phone but we’d always known there would come a day the bus i...
Are you searching employees’ work computers as part of litigation?
By Jon Hyman
If you’re not searching a plaintiff’s work computer during litigation, this story may cause you to reconsider. Tim Marcum is the head coa...
One is the loneliest number – unless you’ve filed an unfair labor practice charge
By Jon Hyman
Lots of employers have lots of policies that they think are legal, but in fact are not. One perfect example is policies that prohibit employ...
Updating 20th century laws for the 21st century
By Jon Hyman
At his Connecticut Employment Law Blog , Daniel Schwartz argues that it’s time to start modernizing our workplace laws. As an example, Danie...
Not every employee needs a noncompete
By Jon Hyman
Noncompetition agreements are fabulous tools. They protect employer’s trade secrets and other confidential and proprietary information, cust...
WIRTW #162 (the bad necktie edition)
By Jon Hyman
I am an expat Philadelphian. When the Eagles came to Cleveland in 2004, I wore my Donovan McNabb jersey with pride inside Browns Stadium, an...
When two worlds collide ... hilarity ensues
By Jon Hyman
Last night, the self-proclaimed world's greatest bosses met for the first time. Michael Scott, meet David Brent: Presented...
Union membership at lowest level in nearly 80 years
By Jon Hyman
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released its annual report of union membership, and the news isn’t good for organized labor. Unions lost ...
Why you never ask a woman if she’s pregnant
By Jon Hyman
Australian broadcaster Todd Woodbridge thought that tennis star Kim Clijsters was pregnant. His problem, however, was that he did not keep i...
Join me Friday on the Proactive Employer Podcast
By Jon Hyman
Join me Friday morning as I guest on the one-year anniversary installment of Stephanie Thomas’s Proactive Employer Podcast . Stephanie and I...
It’s déjà vu all over again—Supreme Court recognizes associational retaliation
By Jon Hyman
In The Gay Science , Friedrich Nietzsche explained his theory of the eternal recurrence —that if the universe is infinitely big, time is ete...
An obituary for our dog
By Jon Hyman
Employment law takes a break today because yesterday we put Zoey to sleep. She was born on January 26, 2005, the largest in a litter of seve...