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The Employer Handbook BlogAllow Me to Reintroduce Myself
My name is Eric Meyer, a founding partner at Pierson Ferdinand LLP. You may know me as the guy who turns someone else’s workplace disaster into your morning reading. Continue reading
Articles Posted in Miscellaneous
A $10+ Million Verdict Against SHRM. A Second Fight Over Who Pays It.
Last year, a jury hit the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the professional association many HR practitioners look to for certifications and guidance, with a $10 million punitive damages verdict. Now its own insurance company says that’s SHRM’s bill to pay, not theirs.
I’m Testing a Flat-Fee Offer for Employment Law Advice. Would You Use It?
The blog isn’t going anywhere, and it’s staying free. But I’m exploring a flat-fee option for companies and employers who read this blog: unlimited employment law advice, instead of billing by the hour for every quick question. Before I decide whether to build it, I want your input on what it should look like.
Get In Early: Dear Employment Counsel
My partner just launched an employment law newsletter on LinkedIn, and I’m plugging it here for free, which tells you either how much I believe in him or how bad I am at negotiating. Continue reading
When a False Harassment Accusation Gets Your Employee Fired, Can You Be Sued for Defamation? A Federal Appeals Court Says Maybe.
Here’s a scenario HR nightmares are made of: an employee allegedly invents a sexual harassment accusation to eliminate a rival for a coveted position. The rival gets fired. The employer gets sued for defamation.
We’re in Toronto. It Was Not My Idea. Send Help.
This week, I’m taking three of my four kids to Toronto for spring break.
My boys picked Toronto because all four of the city’s pro sports teams are home this week. The Blue Jays, the Raptors, Toronto FC, and the Maple Leafs — fine, three major ones and the Leafs.
I picked St. Thomas. I lost. Continue reading
I Got Cease and Desisted. Now I Need Your Help.
I am an employment lawyer. I have spent over two decades helping employers avoid liability. Last week, I got a cease and desist letter. Against me.
TL;DR: I received a cease and desist letter demanding that I immediately stop using the name “The Employer Handbook.” After careful legal review, I am complying. The blog needs a new name, and I need your help picking one.
📄 Visit The Employer Handbook while the name still applies
If Workplaces Had a 2025 Spotify Wrapped
Before the champagne pops and the Slack notifications finally stop, it’s worth pausing to reflect on what actually defined the workplace this year.
Not the initiatives.
Not the slogans.
The refrains.
Some of these are healthy habits. Others are the phrases that tend to show up right before problems do.
Here’s what kept ending up on repeat in 2025. Continue reading
Email Subject Lines That Mean “I Should Not Be Sending This on Christmas Eve”
A Helpful Guide for People About to Hit “Send” Anyway
Despite decades of evidence, some professionals continue to believe Christmas Eve is an appropriate time to introduce new thoughts into the workplace. It is not.
For those who remain uncertain, what follows is a non-exhaustive list of email subject lines that function as a legally binding confession: I should not be sending this today. Continue reading