The Employer Handbook Blog

Like? Philly courts to use social media to communicate with parties

August 3, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

As I was getting my shoes shined yesterday, something caught my eye.

According to this article in the Metro Newspaper from Alexandra Wigglesworth, Philadelphia’s First Judicial District plans to use Facebook, Twitter, and text messaging to send out reminders about court dates.

The court’s shift towards embracing social media is consistent with a recent survey which shows that over half of employers believe that using social media for business purposes is a good thing.

OSHA wants employees to blow more whistles

August 2, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

In a press release issued yesterday, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced that it is implementing additional measures to strengthen the Whistleblower Protection Program.

A brief rundown of these new measures follows after the jump…

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Ba-chicka-wa-wa! Woman hurt during hotel sex sues…her employer.

August 1, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

From that employment-law blog that brought you the incredible story of the female accountant who won the right to legally masturbate at work, comes news of a woman who has sued her employer after she was struck in the head by a light fixture during sex in a hotel room that her employer paid for.

You can’t make this stuff up, yo. (And, ironically, I am typing this post in a Ramada Inn).

I feel a Pulitzer. More after the jump…

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Buh bye: Labor board okays firing some Facebook whiners

July 29, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

I teased it in yesterday’s blog post about Natalie Munroe.

The National Labor Relations Board is softening its position on employers who fire employees for rants on Facebook.

And I’ve got the deets after the jump…

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Suspended blogging teacher will be back in school this fall

July 28, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

Remember Natalie Munroe? Let me see if I can refresh your recollection.

She’s a blogger. She’s a teacher. That’s right, smarties. She’s the blogging teacher who got suspended after her school learned that he had written on her personal blog that she wished she could leave the following comments for students so that parents could gain further insight into how their children were performing in school:

“Am concerned that your kid is going to come in one day and open fire on the school. (Wish I was kidding.)”
Rude, beligerent, argumentative fuck.”
Utterly loathsome in all imaginable ways.”
I called out sick a couple of days just to avoid your son.”
There’s no other way to say this: I hate your kid.”

You can read more about the history of Natalie Munroe here and here.

Congress may expand FMLA to include certain bereavement leave

July 27, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a federal law, entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take up to twelve workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for:

the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child within one year of birth;

the placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care and to care for the newly placed child within one year of placement;

to care for the employee’s spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition; and

a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job.

Earlier this month, Senator John Tester (MT-D) introduced a bill that would amend the FMLA to provide leave because of the death of a son or daughter.

Details on this bill and what it would mean for employers after the jump…

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When hiring: Just because you can ask it, doesn’t mean you should

July 26, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

I received a comment to yesterday’s post about 29 questions you should never ask a candidate in a job interview.

Laurie Ruettimann, who blogs at The Cynical Girl, questioned the real-world ramifications of making one of my 29 no-no’s:

“Hey, Eric. Great list. I once had an employment lawyer tell me that you can ask any question — you just can’t make an employment decision based on the answers. Can you blog about that distinction? Asking versus action? I would love to get your thoughts on that!”

Ask and ye shall receive. Or is it, ye shall receive, yo? (If you don’t read Laurie’s blog, that last sentence flew right over your head).

Either way, I’ll share my thoughts after the jump…

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What would Kenny Powers do? Interview questions to avoid

July 25, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

HBO Go may just be the best app ever.

Over the past two weeks, I’ve gotten current on Entourage and Game of Thrones, and begun watching Eastbound and Down. Watching characters like Ari Gold, Kenny Powers and Tyrion Lannister got me thinking. If these guys were in HR, what kind of questions would they ask potential hires in a job interview?

***You know, this all sounded so much better in my head.***

Whatevs.

After the jump, I have 29 questions you should never ask a candidate in a job interview.

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HEAT WAVE! 7 lawyers discussing social-media compliance

July 22, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

Look, I’m not one to toot my own horn…

And, God knows, I never like to plug my own work.

But, seriously folks, I would be remiss if I did not mention (again) that the Proactive Employer Podcast, sponsored by Thomas Econometrics, is presenting a special two-part round table discussion where experts answer all of your HR and social media questions. They’ve lined up an all-star panel of labor and employment lawyers, bloggers and social media adopters who will be sharing their expertise on various aspects of social media and human resources.

Fact or Fiction: Miniature horse = reasonable ADA accommodation

July 21, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

Welcome back to “Fact or Fiction” a/k/a “Quick Answers to Quick Questions” a/k/a QATQQ f/k/a “I don’t feel like writing a long blog post”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFLJFl7ws_0

So, is a miniature horse a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act? Maybe.