HR horror stories

If you've never experienced someone spreading 💩 all over the place, then you don’t work in employment law or HR.

For example, consider the following, which I found on the local police blotter—

Ex-employee in deep doo-doo after prank: A cashier reported an employee who had given his two weeks’ notice was seen running from the restaurant restroom to his car and driving away. A check of the restroom revealed the suspect had scattered dog feces on the floor. He was arrested and charged with criminal mischief.

Based on my experience, this story is quite tame. Just the floor? What about the walls? And only dog feces? Or was it really just dog feces?

I posted that story on LinkedIn and asked if anyone could top it. My followers did not disappoint.

I'm omitting names and employers to protect the guilty. Happy Tuesday!

Coronavirus Update 6-14-2021: It took all of 12 days for 117 employees to learn what it feels like to lose a lawsuit in spectacular fashion

Twelve days ago I predicted that the 117 hospital workers suing their employer over its mandatory COVID-19 vaccine would lose their lawsuit in spectacular fashion. 

I love it when I'm very, very correct. 

Over the weekend, Judge Lynn Hughes of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued a pointed five-page opinion that eviscerated the plaintiffs' arguments and dismissed their lawsuit. The losers vow to appeal and fight on. To quote one of my law school professors, I say, "Too bad, so sad, hard cheese."

Here's what I predicted about this case and the plaintiffs' arguments, and here's what Judge Hughes had to say.

Coronavirus Update 6-11-2021: OSHA’s long-awaited COVID-19 safety rule is a big bowl of … meh

Today is the 15-month anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. All that employers have asked of OSHA during the past year and a quarter is some clear guidance on the rules and expectations to keep employees healthy and safe. Yesterday, OSHA finally complied … sort of. 

The agency issued an emergency rule that sets workplace safety parameters for employers for the remainder of the pandemic. Critically, however, it only applies to health-care employers. (Does this apply to you? OSHA published this not-so-handy flowchart to help you out.) With a few exceptions for workplaces in which all employees are fully vaccinated and which bar anyone who may have COVID-19, health-care employers must maintain social distancing protocols, provide and ensure that workers wear appropriate face masks while at work, and give workers paid time off to get vaccinated and recover from vaccine side effects, among other provisions. OHSA even published this handy screening questionnaire, which I drafted for my clients 15 month ago.

For all other employers, OSHA updated its voluntary guidelines to focus primarily on protections for unvaccinated and otherwise at-risk workers. These updates largely track the CDC's updated guidelines for the fully vaccinated. 

Coronavirus Update 6-10-2021: The patients have taken over the asylum

Meet Dr. Sherri Tenpenny. She calls herself the "most knowledgeable and outspoken physician on the adverse impact that vaccines can have on health." The Center for Countering Digital Hate, on the other hand, identifies her as number four among its "Disinformation Dozen" … "twelve anti-vaxxers who play leading roles in spreading digital misinformation about Covid vaccines."

She is also one of 517 people who offered testimony earlier this week in the Health Committee of the Ohio House of Representatives in favor of Ohio House Bill 248, the Vaccine Choice and Anti-Discrimination Act. That bill would:

• Prohibit anyone from mandating, incentivizing, or otherwise requesting their employees, customers, or students get vaccinated;
• Make it illegal for anyone to require a vaccination for someone who refuses based on medical contraindication, natural immunity, religious convictions, or other reasons of conscience; and 
• Prohibit anti-vax discrimination.

This is a clip of Dr. Tenpenny's testimony, the scariest, and craziest, offered that day.

Testimony going off the rails now.

Tenpenny is claiming there is metal in the vaccine that causes forks to stick to your forehead. She saw videos of it on the internet, you see

Also promoting the 5G cell phone network vaccine theory. This is the anti-vaccine "expert witness" pic.twitter.com/sPpuAqmHba

— Tyler Buchanan (@Tylerjoelb) June 8, 2021

Coronavirus Update 6-9-2021: No, the COVID-19 vaccine has not killed more people than mass shootings, and it’s not even close

In Miller v. Bonata, a federal district court held that California's 30-plus-year ban on assault weapons violates the Second Amendment. In support of his holding, Judge Roger Benitez made the following analogy, in arguing in support of the lack of harm assault weapons pose: "More people have died from the Covid-19 vaccine than mass shootings in California."

Judge Benitez is wrong, and it's not even a close case. 

Coronavirus Update 6-8-2021: OSHA updates employers of N95 use

OSHA recently provided employers an update on the proper use of N95 masks, including a new video, poster (in English and Spanish), and FAQ (which makes is clear that "an N95 respirator is effective in protecting workers from the virus that causes COVID-19).

Celebrating the important stuff

Donovan was diagnosed with Noonan Syndrome when he was just five months old. His gastroenterologist heard a heart murmur, which caused her to refer us to a cardiologist. She diagnosed his pulmonary valve stenosis. Since 60 percent of people with this heart defect also have Noonan Syndrome, the cardiologist referred us to a geneticist, who made the ultimate genetic diagnosis. 

Noonan Syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by one of several mutations. Our son's mutation is of the PTPN11 gene. NS is a multi-system disorder with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 1,000 – 2,500 births. In Donovan's case, he has a bleeding (platelet function) disorder, the above mentioned congenital heart defect (which doctors addressed a couple of years ago via a balloon angioplasty), feeding and gastrointestinal issues (Celiac disease), ptosis of his right eye, low-set ears, waning small stature (for which he takes daily injections of growth hormones, that are working really, really well), and ADHD. Some (although not our son) also have learning disabilities.

Donovan's diagnosis was a gut punch for my wife and me; we had no idea what life would hold for him.

This was Donovan last Friday, holding his 6th Grade Core Value Award for Scholarship.