New rules for removing cases to federal court will impact employers
If you are an employer, or an attorney representing employers (and if you’re reading this blog I’d bet dollars to donuts you fall into one o...
Pop quiz: is this sexual harassment?
By Jon Hyman
Readers, it's pop quiz time. Do the following allegations support an allegation of a hostile work environment? The Plaintiff’s manager...
Apple’s social media policy: a lot to like … and one huge thing to hate
By Jon Hyman
How does a hip, cutting-edge company like Apple handle its employees’ use of social media? Apparently, pretty well. 9 to 5 Mac got its hand...
I’m guessing they don’t practice employment law
By Jon Hyman
Wikipedia defines the “casting couch” as “the trading of sexual favors by an aspirant, apprentice employee, or subordinate to a superior, i...
WIRTW #203 (the “Blawg 100” edition)
By Jon Hyman
The American Bar Association has published its list of the best legal blogs—the Blawg 100 . For the second year in a row, I am honored to...
Ohio Supreme Court rewrites, and protects, the tripartite relationship between attorney, client, and insurer
By Jon Hyman
If your business has employment practices liability insurance, or deals with insurance companies for other coverages, you are probably aware...
Booze, Sex and HR: maintain perspective; accept corporate responsibility
By Jon Hyman
In the spirit of the holiday party season, Mike VanDervort made the following challenge on his blog, The Human Race Horses: On November 30,...
RIP Patrice O'Neal
By Jon Hyman
Earlier today, it was announced that comedian Patrice O'Neal passed away. He succumbed to complications from a stroke he suffered last m...
Supreme Court to hear case on scope of outside sales exemption (and hopefully scope of DOL’s power)
By Jon Hyman
Do you employ outside salespeople (pharmaceutical reps, for instance)? If so, then you are going to want to pay attention to what will trans...
“SAY IT! SAY IT!” Yelling as an essential function
By Jon Hyman
Did you know that the ability to yell at one’s students is an essential function of a teacher? According to Johnson v. Cleveland City School...
WIRTW #202 (the “thankful” edition)
By Jon Hyman
I learned something new yesterday. I learned, from my kindergartener, that the first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days. I am thankful t...
Sympathy for the Devil (as religious discrimination)
By Jon Hyman
I haven’t always been a lawyer. During a previous life (high school and college), I spent weekends and summers as a bar mitzvah DJ, a nursin...
A new era dawns—my first post at Fistful of Talent
By Jon Hyman
Today’s post is a little different. It's the first I’ve ever written that is not being debuted on my own blog. Today is my first endeavo...
WIRTW #201 (the “Mickey Mouse” edition)
By Jon Hyman
The news has been pretty somber this week, with the sexual abuse of children dominating the headlines. So, I thought we needed a light-heart...
I’m begging you … have a social media policy
By Jon Hyman
Last week, SHRM released the results of its 3rd survey on Social Media in the Workplace [pdf] . SHRM polled 532 randomly selected HR profes...
Who owns social media accounts? (part 2)
By Jon Hyman
Last Monday, I asked the following question: “What happens to an employee’s social media account when the employee leaves a company?” The v...
Don’t ignore common sense when conducting workplace investigations
By Jon Hyman
Light night, I tuned in with curiosity for Bob Costas’s interview with Jerry Sandusky . That curiosity turned to stunned outrage when Sandus...
Tell them to their face: firing employees (a lesson from State College, PA)
By Jon Hyman
Frank Roche, writing at his KnowHR blog , made the following observation the morning after Penn State announced that it had fired Joe Patern...
WIRTW #200 (the “bicentennial” edition)
By Jon Hyman
This week offered a lot of potential themes from which I could pick for today’s “WIRTW”: Joe Paterno (come back Monday for my thoughts on th...
Regulating workplace photography? Think again, says one federal court
By Jon Hyman
This time next week, I’ll be in San Diego presenting on workplace social media issues at the 2011 Human Resources & Employer Compliance ...