The Employer Handbook Blog

Fact or Fiction: Pregnancy is a disability under federal employment law

September 1, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

That’s right folks. It’s time for another edition of “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=oAY06SYDjH0

The answer to today’s question is fiction. Pregnancy is not a “disability” for purposes of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To be considered a disability under the ADA, covered persons must actually have physical or mental impairments that substantially limit one or more major life activities. Pregnancy is not considered an impairment under the law.

Labor Board delivers a three-punch knockout for unions

August 31, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

Yesterday, the National Labor Relations Board issued three very union-friendly opinions that could have an effect on the way you conduct business. I discuss these opinions and the immediate impact they will have on certain employers after the jump…

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ESPN: The worldwide leader in sports, but not Twitter

August 30, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

ESPN, the self-proclaimed worldwide leader in sports, has updated its social-media policy for talent and reporters. You can find a copy of it here. The policy does have its strong points. But, there are certain areas in which it misses the mark. A discussion follows after the jump…

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If Lady Gaga tweets your trade secret, is it still a trade secret?

August 29, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

In a matter of minutes, or even seconds, a single tweet may reach thousands or, possibly, millions of people. Now, just imagine if that tweet contained proprietary information. (You know, like if Lady Gaga tweeted the code to Microsoft Windows 7 to her millions of followers). Ummm…work with me here…

But, even in the days before Twitter, publishing content on a blog or a message board meant putting information out in the public domain for anyone — including a competitor — to view. What if that information was supposed to be confidential? Does a trade secret lose its legal trade-secret status if it is published on the internet? Find out the answer after the jump…

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Sign up! It’s The Employer Handbook free NFL Survivor Pool

August 26, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

Are you ready for some football?

Better question: do you think you have what it takes to defeat me, a former 610 WIP SportsRadio Midday Show Survivor Pool Champion?

Now you’ll have your chance. The Employer Handbook is hosting a free NFL Survivor Pool, where the winner will take home the picture of Julius Erving and Larry Bird that now hangs in my office — to the right of Allen Iverson’s head. (Yes, that’s my office). Here’s a close up.

More on how this free contest works — you needn’t be a football fan or know anything about football — and how you can sign up, after the jump.

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Feds force private businesses to tell employees its ok to unionize

August 26, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

Good times, huh?

The National Labor Relations Board has issued a Final Rule requiring most private-sector employers to post a notice informing employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act, which includes — you guessed it — the right to form a union.

This rule goes into effect on November 14, 2011 and I’ve got the dirty details after the jump.

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The Employer Handbook seeks your feedback

August 25, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

'Forbidden Planet customer suggestions box' photo (c) 2010, Ged Carroll - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

The Employer Handbook is fast approaching its ninth month. I’ve had a blast blogging for my readers. And things appear to be running smoothly. But what do I know? I only write this stuff. I don’t have to read it. That’s up to you. We make great a team, don’t we?

So, let me know…

What do you like so far?

16 best practices for conquering the next natural disaster

August 24, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

Raise your hand if your east-coast business was prepared for yesterday’s earthquake.

After the jump, I’ll tell you why you may not have been ready and offer your business 16 ways to prepare for when the next disaster strikes.

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LexisNexis deems The Employer Handbook the best blog ever

August 23, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

(Maybe, I’m reading a little too much into an email I received from them yesterday).

Actually, The Employer Handbook has been nominated as one of the LexisNexis Top 25 Labor and Employment Law Blogs of 2011. If Because you want to vote for The Employer Handbook, click here. Seriously, if you like what you read, please stuff the ballot box. (You’ll need to register first with LexisNexis. But that takes 20 seconds and you can do that here.) Thank you!

The federal labor law guide to social media (non)compliance

August 22, 2011 | by Eric B. Meyer

On Friday night, I read the just-released National Labor Relations Board’s Acting General Counsel report on social media investigations. In fact, I read it twice cover-to-cover. (No, I won’t be winning the “Coolest Person ~~In America~~ ~~In Philly~~ ~~On My Block~~ In My House” Award this year).

Dorkiness aside, I was able to distill the report down to the points that employers will need to know if they hope to avoid federal scrutiny. Those details follow after the jump…

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