Coronavirus Update 2-28-22: CDC eliminates mask guidance for 70% of Americans

The CDC has issued new mask guidance based on the level of Covid-19 in a specific county. 

• In counties with a low level of Covid (green) — individuals are permitted to remove masks.

• In counties with a medium level of Covid (yellow) — individuals who are at high risk for severe illness are recommended to talk to their healthcare provider about whether they need to wear a mask and take other safety precautions.

• In counties with a high level of Covid (red) — individuals are recommended to wear a mask indoors in public.

WIRTW #615: the “prayers” edition

I pray for the people of Ukraine.

I pray for democracy.

I pray for diplomacy.

I pray for Europe.

I pray for troops everywhere, ours and everyone else's.

I pray that we are not seeing the beginning of WWIII.

I pray for peace.

I pray that I'm wrong about WWIII, but as a student of history I don't think I am.

Here's what I read this past week that I think you should be reading, too.

I hate “Tattleware”

I thought I had my next Worst Employer nominee. News broke yesterday of the mass exodus of employees from real estate company CoStar after allegations came to light of the company spying on work-from-home employees through the cameras on the company-issued laptops. I even had the post written. 

But in further researching the issue I came across this story that ran yesterday on the Today Show: 'Tattleware': How your boss might be tracking your remote activity. 

Its use skyrocketed as most companies switched to a work-from-home model during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tip credits and tip pools — the tip of the FLSA iceberg

No employment law is more misunderstood and misapplied by employers than the Fair Labor Standards Act, our federal wage and hour law. There are more than 8,000 federal FLSA lawsuits filed per year, with nearly one-quarter filed against employers in the accommodation and food service industry … including craft breweries. 

These employers get themselves in legal trouble because of the special manner in which service industry employees are compensated. If you employ workers who customarily and regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips (and every craft brewery does), there are two key FLSA phrases you must understand to avoid FLSA landmines — tip credit and tip pool.

Vacation (all I ever wanted) — 7 tips to encourage your employees to use their paid time off

"AITA for turning my work phone off on vacation?" That's the question that someone recently posted on the eponymous subreddit.

The recently promoted employee disconnected during his vacation. During a moment of downtime, he powered up his work phone, only to find this voicemail from his new manager, demanding to know why he wasn't zooming in for meetings.

I checked my phone voicemail and the unknown number was him saying he "hoped there was a damn good excuse for why I was off the grid" if I wanted to keep my job. He even started out the voicemail with "I'm so sorry you’re in the hospital because that's the only reason I should be needing to hunt you down like this." In slack I had a few dms from coworkers I feel I get along with saying I need to reply ASAP because my absence was impacting them with how mad our boss was.

No, he's not the a***ole.

This dissenting opinion in the United Airlines vaccine-mandate case is 58 pages of pure judicial rage

It's been a little over three months since a federal district court in Forth Worth, Texas, denied a preliminary injunction to a group of unvaccinated employees of United Airlines challenging its vaccine mandate. The court so ruled because the employees, whom United had placed on an unpaid leave of absence, had a viable claim for money damages and with that adequate legal remedy couldn't simultaneously seek an equitable remedy. 

It's been a little over two months since a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals declined to issue an injunction pending the appeal of that district court decision. 

Late last week, however, a different three-judge panel of that same appellate court concluded that the employees had established irreparable harm to support their claim for injunctive relief and sent the case back to the district court to reconsider its prior ruling in light of that holding.

WIRTW #614: the “North Star” edition

I spent yesterday at my kids' school, Lake Ridge Academy. With the assistance of Grant Lichtman, an internationally recognized thought leader in the drive to transform K-12 education, I, along with the school's faculty, staff, and administration, some other parents, some students, and my fellow board members, spent the better part of the day brainstorming to determine the school's North Star — the one thing that will move the school forward with us all moving in the same direction, or, to put it differently, the one thing that will make us irresistible.

We learned a lot about us as a school and where we want to be. It was a rewarding, engaging, and energizing exercise from which any organization (or person) would benefit. 

What is your North Star? Or your business's North Star? Share in the comments below.

Here's what I read this past week that I think you should be reading, too.