The 12 Days of Employment Law Christmas (2017 edition)

For the past five Noels, I’ve concluded my posting year with “The 12 Days of Employment Law Christmas.” As this has become a year-end tradition at the blog, I’m sharing it again (with updated verses and links). If you’re feeling brave, post a video of yourself singing along.

(Some musical accompaniment)

Announcing THE WORST EMPLOYER OF 2017

The day has finally arrived. It’s time to announce the Worst Employer of 2017.

To remind you, we had three finalists in contention for this … honor:

Amid all of the sexual harassment concerns, let us not forget that other types of harassment exist

So much of the news lately has focused on sexual harassment, that it’s easy for one to forget that other types of harassment also exist.

For example, racial harassment.

Since we are but a week away from Christmas, I thought it appropriate to use a holiday-time example to illustrate.

NLRB restores sanity to its rules on employee handbooks and joint employment

Last week, the NLRB started making good on its promise to roll back some of its more controversial Obama-era reforms—its assault on employee handbooks and its liberalization of joint employment.

WIRTW #488 (the “all harassment, all the time” edition)

As you’ll see below, sexual harassment has become such a big story that it’s (sadly) earned it’s own headlining category in my weekly recap of What I Read This Week. I am looking forward to the day (hopefully sooner rather than later) when I can delete it.

For now, sexual harassment continues to dominate the headlines, both general and employment law. This week, I guested on the Talent 10x podcast to discuss sexual harassment at Work in a Post-Weinstein World.

Here’s what I read this week:

New OFCCP director inherits a criticized agency

If you are a federal contractor or subcontractor, the letters O-F-C-C-P hold real meaning for you. They stand for Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. It is the federal agency which ensures that employers doing business with the federal government (i.e., those holding federal contracts and subcontracts) comply with federal laws and regulations requiring nondiscrimination in employment, including their affirmative action obligations.

Yesterday, the OFCCP named Ondray T. Harris as its new Director.

Today is your last day to vote for the WORST EMPLOYER OF 2017

If you have not yet voted for the Worst Employer of 2017, your time is running very short. The polls close at 11 pm today.

Who is your favorite?

• The Cancerous Boss — company fires employee who needs a 10-day leave of absence for cancer surgery; tells him she doesn’t “need people with cancer working in her office”

• The Racist Boss — employer that gifts an African American employee a confederate flag purse as a Christmas gift after she had complained about harassment

• The Horny Head of HR — employer ignores employee’s complaints about the HR head’s lascivious conduct and inappropriate text messages; tells him, “I hope you’re not going to sue me,” while nibbling on his ear

Vote now at www.surveymonkey.com/r/worstemployer.

I’ll announce the big winner (or the big loser, depending on your perspective) next week.