PLEASE don’t tell your employees which candidate to vote for

This post at the Evil HR Lady Facebook group caught my attention yesterday:

Florida company's president warns employees their jobs could be in danger if Trump loses election

Coronavirus Update 10-19-2020: The 10th nominee for the “worst employer of 2020” is … the callous car dealer

I continue to shake my head at the callousness of employers during this pandemic. Consider this example from The Oregonian, which earns its spot as the 10th nominee for the Worst Employer of 2020.  

A finance manager at a used car dealership in Portland was fired by his boss during a staff meeting for questioning the company’s alleged cover-up of a coronavirus cluster, a lawsuit claims.  

Coronavirus Update 10-16-2020: The benefit of being prepared

When you get the call, you better be prepared. This maxim holds true in business, in the law, and in life in general.

Our favorite local wine bar has been hosting outdoor, socially distant concerts since shortly after the State of Ohio allowed it to reopen. Last Friday, their booked artist canceled last minute, which led to a 4:00 pm phone call for Norah to fill in. 

I had to quickly work through the stress of a 14-year-old who did not know if she could pull off a three-hour solo gig on 90 minutes' notice. I reminded her that she's spent the last six months writing originals and playing covers in her bedroom, in the backyard, and on Zoom for the Rockin' the Suburbs "Friday Night Hootenanny." Thus, she made her setlist, we packed her gear into the car, and off we went.

What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate

An employee suffers an injury that prevents her from operating a motor vehicle. With no means of transportation to travel to and from her workplace, the employee calls off work, believing that her absences were excused. They weren't, and the employer fires her for excessive absences.

She sues, claiming disability discrimination, in part because of the company's failure to accommodate her inability to drive.

Coronavirus Update 10-14-2020: Reporting an employee who tests positive

When an employee tests positive, an employer has certain reporting obligations. These obligations fall into two categories—reporting to OSHA and reporting to your state or local health agency under state law.

OSHA

While OSHA has remained largely silent on mandates for businesses related to COVID-19, it has published specific guidance on when an employer must record and report COVID cases at work.

Coronavirus Update 10-13-2020: You are doing something very, very wrong if your employees are terrified to come to work

According to Deadspin, NFL players are terrified of COVID, but are afraid to speak up for fear of angering the NFL.

"I looked at my son. I looked at my family, and I just didn't think it was worth it," Jaguars player Lerentee McCray, a seven-year veteran, told me this summer after opting out. "I could catch it and bring it home to them. Or I can get it and even if it doesn't kill me, it could destroy my career long-term. I feel really weird not playing football right now, but can't. I can't risk doing something so dangerous and maybe hurting the people I love."

In the end, most players decided the money was worth the risk. So, they play.

Yet there's been a definite shift in that attitude over the past few months and even weeks, several told me in various interviews, as the virus spreads through locker rooms. Most requested anonymity for fear of angering NFL owners and the league office.

Why I call myself the 'Master of Workplace Schadenfreude'

If you and I are connected on LinkedIn (and if we're not, please correct that mistake immediately), you may have noticed that my headline describes me as a the "Master of Workplace Schadenfreude." 

I'm often asked, "Jon, what the heck does that mean?" Today, I have the answer.