Poor Richard's Guide to Not Being a Professional Pessimist
When my daughter was in high school, we fired her therapist. Not because therapy doesn't work. Not because she didn't need help. But...
WIRTW #796: the 'museum of fascism' edition
By Jon Hyman
I didn't expect a seaside fortress in a sleepy Portuguese surf town to hit this hard. Peniche is postcard perfect—wind, waves, seafood, ...
The easist thing you can do as an employer to engage your employees
By Jon Hyman
Most managers overcomplicate leadership. They chase engagement surveys, perks, and “culture initiatives.” Meanwhile, they ignore the simples...
Social-media account redundancy is a MUST HAVE for branded accounts
By Jon Hyman
Ten years. That's how long this group of employees ran their employer’s Instagram account. Built the brand. Engaged the customers. Becam...
WIRTW #795: the 'girls club' edition
By Jon Hyman
Trump's EEOC is expanding its crackdown on DEI by targeting women-only workplace networking and similar programs as potential illegal “r...
Forced religion at work is a very bad idea
By Jon Hyman
It started with an Easter email sent agency-wide from the top: "He has risen!" The message praised Christianity as "the found...
Winning a lawsuit is not the proper measurement for the quality of your workplace
By Jon Hyman
"Lincoln may have freed the slaves, but I'm keeping you." That's what a Black legal assistant claims a law firm partner to...
When workplace frustration becomes a five-alarm fire
By Jon Hyman
A warehouse goes up in flames. Fifteen hours to extinguish it. Hundreds of millions in damage. And a worker—three weeks into the job—now fac...
6th Circuit will answer when the workday begins for remote employees
By Jon Hyman
When does the workday begin for a remote employee? Not when they walk through the office door. There is no office door. So is it when they l...
PLEASE, do not litigate your cases on social media
By Jon Hyman
"I am going to fight this nonsense to the end of the earth in the hope that it inspires other CEOs to do the same so we shut down this ...
WIRTW #794: the 'philanthropy' edition
By Jon Hyman
On this week's episode of the Norah and Dad Show, we talked about what Delta Zeta has come to mean to her, and I couldn’t help but smile...
Mental Health Is Now a Retention Problem. For Some Employers, It's Also a Legal One.
By Jon Hyman
One in four employees have considered quitting because of their mental health. Let that sink in. Not compensation. Not commute. Not a bad bo...
Employers can no longer count on private arbitration when sexual harassment is on the docket
By Jon Hyman
Employers love arbitration agreements. They keep disputes private and out of court. Unless, that is, sexual harassment is in the case. An Oh...
The Supreme Court lowered the bar. Employers should take notice.
By Jon Hyman
Last year, in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis , SCOTUS rewrote what counts as an "adverse employment action" under Title VII. The old...
The 3rd nominee for the Worst Employer of 2026 is … The Dead Baby
By Jon Hyman
Some cases hit harder than others. This is one of them. A Hamilton County, Ohio, jury just tagged Total Quality Logistics with a $22.5 milli...
Employers can't outsource discrimination to an algorithm
By Jon Hyman
AI is new and shiny. Employment law is not. Mobley v. Workda y proves the point. The court concluded that employers don't get to outsour...
WIRTW #793: the 'Waterloo Sunset' edition
By Jon Hyman
Last Friday in Covent Garden, a street performer pulled me into his act. "Where are you from?" "America." The boos came ...
Lawsuits aren't lottery tickets. Or at least they shouldn't be.
By Jon Hyman
Too often, plaintiffs' lawyers file thin, borderline frivolous employment claims hoping for a quick nuisance-value settlement. The math ...
5 steps for an employer to win an off-the-clock overtime claim
By Jon Hyman
Jerry Merritt, an agency manager for the Texas Farm Bureau, claimed 816 hours of unpaid overtime. Even assuming he had been misclassified as...
Bribery scandals don't start with bad employees; they start with bad culture
By Jon Hyman
When a bribery scandal hits a company, the corporate response is almost always the same: These were bad employees acting on their own. Maybe...