My one work rule to rule them all

George Carlin was a genius. He just had a way of breaking down language into its most simple parts. Whether it was The 7 Dirty Words or The 10 Commandments, Carlin was just brilliant with language. For example, he dismantled each of the 10 Commandments into just two:

First:

• Thou shalt always be honest and faithful, especially to the provider of thy nookie.

And second:

• Thou shalt try real hard not to kill anyone, unless, of course, they pray to a different invisible man than the one you pray to.

I thought of this yesterday after stumbling upon a tweetstorm authored by Kate Bischoff reacting to this New York Times article suggesting that Jeffrey Toobin's long and esteemed career justifies that he should get his job back despite his Zoom full monty faux pas. 

Coronavirus Update 12-15-2020: Don’t be this a-hole

According to Cleveland.com, a pair of Ohio parents are facing possible criminal charges after piling 60 maskless teenagers into a party bus to celebrate their son's 14th birthday.

Police learned a parent had arranged for the party bus, which originated in Cincinnati…. The parent had posted an open invitation on social media, police say.

If you’re tired of reading about the Worst Employer voting, you can now listen to me talk about it

Marc Alifanz and Kate Bischoff are two of my favorite people. They also happen to host one of my favorite podcasts, Hostile Work Environment. I promise that I'm not just dishing out these high praises because Marc and Kate invited me to guest on this week's episode to discuss the 10 nominees for this year's Worst Employer poll. 

You can listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you choose to get your podcasts. (And while you're there do us all a favor and click that subscribe button if you already haven't.)

Coronavirus Update 12-11-2020: Food insecurity

One of the great tragedies of the COVID-19 pandemic is the number of Americans who are without enough food to eat. It is estimated that nearly 1 out of every 4 households have experienced food insecurity at some point in 2020 (up from 1 out of 10 in 2019). That's an additional 20 million households, or 52.5 Americans, who at some point this year were or continue to be unable to acquire enough food to meet their basic needs or were uncertain of where their next meal will come from. Tens of millions of our fellow Americans are going hungry because of COVID-19.

On Sunday, December 20, at 6 pm, my daughter will be playing an online gig in support of the Hunger Network. The gig is part of this month's 48 Hour Virtual Music Fest, a local monthly online concert series that supports a different cause each month. This month's Fest is in conjunction with WJCU's Blizzard Bash, an annual event put on by John Carroll University's radio station, which this year is being held virtually. 

Have you cast your vote yet for the Worst Employer(s) of 2020?

2017: The Cancerous Boss (employer fires employee after his cancer diagnosis because she doesn't "need people with cancer working in her office," and "in America you have to work even if you're sick")

2018: The Murdering Manager (company owner hires two men to rough-up a handyman who was not doing his job, and they accidentally kill him)

2019: The Barbaric Boss (employer forces intellectually disabled African-American employee to work excessive hours for no pay, and abuses him for mistakes, including belt beatings and hot grease burns)

2020: ???

Who will join this dubious list? Please help me fill in those question marks. 

Time is running out for you to cast your ballot for this year's Worst Employers. 

Click here to vote in each of the two categories—Overall Worst Employer, and COVID-19 Worst Employer. I'll be announcing the winners (or losers, depending on your perspective) next week.

* Photo by Marcel Strauß on Unsplash

Coronavirus Update 12-9-2020: Maskual harassment, part 2

"I wish I could see your pretty lips if they match ur eyes."

"Come on, sweetie. Lemme see that pretty face under there. Take it off for me, will you? Just a quick flash."

"I can be covid and make you short of breath."

"I don't wear a condom; I sure as hell aren't going to wear a mask!"

"Social distancing? My pocket rocket can still reach you."

"I'll take your mask off and stick my tongue down your throat."

These are just a few of the hundreds of awful and offensive comments to which service industry workers reported being subjected while working during COVID (report here).

Coronavirus Update 12-8-2020: Tipped restaurant and other service workers at high risk for “maskual harassment"

Everyone has been hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. Service industry employees, however, have been hit particularly hard. Many are out of work. And those that are able to work are worker fewer hours and earning less in wages and tips.

Moreover, according to this survey (h/t: NPR), a majority of service industry workers are being forced to choose between earning valuable tips and staying safe by wearing a mask.

Consider these statistics regarding tipped employees: