Hiring & Firing

HELP WANTED: Born-again Christians need only apply

June 18, 2012 | by Eric B. Meyer

I’m a firm believer that discussing religion (or politics) at work is a recipe for disaster. On this blog; however, if it’s employment-related, then that’s how we roll…

And, after the jump, we roll into Oklahoma and discuss whether it’s ok for a lighting company to require that it’s employees be born-again Christians. (Hint: It’s not ok).

(If you’d rather read about the Oklahoma City Thunder and the NBA Finals, I understand).

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The teacher who blogged about her “dunderhead” students is back!

June 8, 2012 | by Eric B. Meyer

And she’s making news again…

It’s been nine long months since I blogged about a favorite of The Employer Handbook: Natalie Munroe. You can read about her here, here, here, and here.

She is the PA teacher who, on her blog, described her students as argumentative f*cks who may engage in Columbine-style shootings. She got suspended, but was later reinstated, and taught during this school year.

No flush, but two of a kind win in a workplace toilet dispute

June 5, 2012 | by Eric B. Meyer

Hey employers! You know what’s stupid? ~~My tongue-in-cheek pun on despicable workplace conditions~~. Depriving employees of bathroom privileges. Even dumber is firing them after they complain to state regulators about the lack of an onsite toilet.

One company recently learned this lesson the hard way. Details after the jump…

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That’s what they said: “29 different ways to say ‘I quit'”

June 1, 2012 | by Eric B. Meyer

Yesterday, I came across this post at EmployerLINC, which reprints this news release from OfficeTeam, offering up the many ways that an employer can be told, “Screw you guys, I’m going home.” (Donna Ballman, I owe you a nickel in royalties).

The reasons for quitting ranged from mere boredom to a desire to join the circus. One employee even quit to join a rock band.

Hey, I’d love to be a rock superstar. (Not really, but it’s the only chance I’ll get to play Cypress Hill on this blog…like ever.)

Federal legislation reintroduced to promote hiring veterans

May 29, 2012 | by Eric B. Meyer

To improve the reinstatement rights of returning war veterans, and to add more enforcement teeth to the Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), Pennsylvania Senator Robert Casey reintroduced the Servicemembers Access to Justice Act (SAJA) last week.

Details on SAJA and what it could mean for employers follow after the jump…

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U.S. Senate now has its own FB password bill; NJ nears similar ban

May 14, 2012 | by Eric B. Meyer

Well, that didn’t take long.

Late last month, I reported on a bill that had been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, known as the Social Networking Online Protection Act (SNOPA), that would prohibit employers, schools, and universities from requiring someone to provide a username, password or other access to online content.

Now, it’s the U.S. Senate’s turn to get in on the act with its own password bill. Plus, after the jump, I’ll have an update on similar legislation winding its way to Governor Christie in New Jersey…

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A Facebook firing? An employer in hot water? Ya don’t say…

May 11, 2012 | by Eric B. Meyer

Yesterday, I gave my social media in the workplace spiel to a great crowd in Hershey, PA, at the Banyan Consulting 12th Annual Conference. Not surprisingly, the majority of questions posed involved the attention that the National Labor Relations Board has paid to social-media-related employee discipline. And that reminded me that a case I discussed earlier this week, the one involving overly-broad handbooks policies that restricted employee discussions of wages, had a second component worth discussing; namely, an unlawful Facebook firing. More after the jump…

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That’s what she said: A hairy religious discrimination claim is settled

May 4, 2012 | by Eric B. Meyer

If only I had a nickel for every time someone asked me, “How do you have time to blog every day?” The answer is simple: ~~Jolt Cola Juleps and rogue Keebler Elves~~ I just enjoy writing. But even so, it can get tiring sometimes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZdjJdOzN5QI was discussing this with a few HR blogger friends over dinner a few Fridays ago. They empathized. And then, I smiled, as whatever the opposite of writer’s block is overtook me faster than a fat kid at a cake buffet:

I’ll just do a post called “That’s what she said.”

Boom! ~~Plagiarism!~~ Double entendre + less work for me = one happy blogger dork.

I’ve struck gold…after the jump…

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New NLRB election rules may get derailed; plus more on SNOPA

May 1, 2012 | by Eric B. Meyer

Two quick updates for you today; one labor, one employment.

Word has trickled in that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia held a conference call with lawyers from the National Labor Relations Board, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, and informed them that the Court would rule by May 15 on a pending challenge to the NLRB “quickie” election rule changes. You can view those rule changes in this post I did last week.

And in case you missed yesterday’s post on new federal legislation that would bar employer demands for online passwords, be sure to check it out. Late in the day, I scored a copy of the bill, known as Social Networking Online Protection Act (SNOPA), and added a link. We know now that employers that violate the law will be subject to civil fines of up to $10K. The Secretary of Labor may also seek injunctive relief. However, the federal law does not mention a private cause of action for individuals.

New federal law will bar employer demands for online passwords #SNOPA

April 30, 2012 | by Eric B. Meyer