Human Resources Policies

#SOTU and the #Workplace: A full debriefing of last night’s Presidential address

January 21, 2015 | by Eric B. Meyer

I had every intention of watching the President address the Nation last night. I really did.

But, then I got sucked into the Director’s Cut of The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island, the one where the Washington Generals show up first and replace all the confetti with lice. Then poor Lovie Howell takes some shrapnel and, frankly, I didn’t realize that Thurston could order a hit squad so quickly to a remote Island.

By the time I remembered the SOTU, the Harlem Globetrotters were busting out a ladder — sorry, Krusty — and que sera.

Fortunately for me, and, by extension, you, the White House printed a copy of the SOTU, which I could ~~cut and paste~~ expertly analyze for you after the jump…

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President Obama to push for paid sick leave for American workers

January 15, 2015 | by Eric B. Meyer

In an announcement made late in the day yesterday on LinkedIn, Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama, posted that President Obama will call upon Congress today to pass the Healthy Families Act.

More on this push from the President and what it will mean for American business, after the jump…

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If you employ progressive discipline, don’t slap your employees with a bearded dragon

January 7, 2015 | by Eric B. Meyer

And by bearded dragon, I mean, well, bearded dragon.

This warning holds true even if you operate a reptile store. Chris Joseph of the Broward/Palm Beach New Times reports (here) that a Florida reptile store owner was “arrested on battery and cruelty to animal charges on Friday after he allegedly hit some of his employees with a live lizard multiple times.”

It’s all in this police report. Additionally, according to Joseph article, the same store previously had “hosted a roach-eating contest that ended up killing contestant after he choked on the dozens of roaches and worms during the contest.”

NLRB: Your employees can use company email to badmouth you and unionize. Four reasons it’s no big deal.

December 12, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

YES, THAT’S RIGHT. NO BIG DEAL.

Hey, if you’re a big employment dork like me, (vote Handbook!), you’ve already read a bunch of blog posts, and you’ll read several more about how the sky is falling after yesterday’s NLRB decision, in which the Board held that employees may use company email to discuss the terms and conditions of employment.

Yes, this decision extends to any workplace — not just unionized workplaces — that is covered by the National Labor Relations Act. And, yes, it may help your employees communicate with one another to form a union (gasp!) or otherwise discuss working conditions, but…

Paid sick leave in Philly may be happening in 2015

December 3, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

It sounds like Mayor Nutter is warming up to the idea of requiring Philadelphia employers to provide employees with paid sick leave.

How can that be? Find out after the jump…

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Do you have a “super” anti-harassment contract with your employees?

December 2, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

I’m gonna pause for a sec while you go and grab a copy of your company’s employee handbook. Now open it up to the anti-harassment policy and, click through, because your world may be about to be rocked…

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What the EEOC plans to tell employers about wellness programs

November 26, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is obsessed with wellness programs.

Or, as the EEOC likes to describe them “‘so-called’ wellness programs.” And not in a “yay, so-called wellness programs are super” kinda way.

No, in recent months, the EEOC has initiated litigation against companies (example, example, example) claiming that they violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Genetic Information Non-Disclosure Act by both requiring medical examination and penalizing employees who decline to participate.

Is it against the law to remote wipe an employee’s Candy Crush high score?

November 18, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

Replace Candy Crush high score with email contacts on a personal iPhone used for work (BYOD), and you have the issue that a federal court in Texas recently tackled.

The answer follows after the jump…

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Philadelphia now requires breastfeeding protections for local employees

September 4, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

Heads up, Philly employers! This new law takes effect right away!

Read all about it after the jump…

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#SHRM14 updates from the best of the bloggerati

June 25, 2014 | by Eric B. Meyer

Sorry for the late past today, gang. I had planned on putting something together last night, but, two words: sushi coma.

So, here for your enjoyment, whether you’re attending the 2014 SHRM Annual Conference and Expo this year, like I am, or whether you’ve been following along online, is a collection of recent blog posts tracking the event:

“Dispatches from #SHRM14 Day Two: Keynotes, Conversations & Cultural Sensitivity” from John Nykolaiszyn