Ver la versión en español aquí With approximately 3.6 billon people expressing themselves using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and most recently, TikTok, employers have to ask themselves some important questions regarding their employees’ usage of these applications. Should employers set boundaries as to what they will or will not … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí COVID-19 has thrown a wrench into every employer’s near-term plans. While many companies have temporarily shut down, and many others have put hiring on hold, some employers will have to kickstart their hiring efforts as the economy begins to reopen. Data shows that the stay-at-home economy created a surge … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the majority of businesses to at least offer, if not require, work-from-home options for employees. Employers are now facing many challenges that come with maintaining the same level of productivity when employees are working remotely. Below are a few guidelines to help ensure that … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí You survived Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday. Will you “survive” the office holiday party and the HR land mines it presents? Please don’t let anyone show up to the party dressed like this guy. What’s a party without alcohol, and what’s a law blog without a curmudgeon preaching … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Coastal Industries, a Jacksonville, Florida employer, thought it had an employee handbook that was compliant with the dictates of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). After a NLRB review of its handbook, however, it got a rude awakening. Remember, the NLRB can find workplace policies to be unfair labor … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Last week, the CEO of Starbucks, Kevin Johnson, announced the ‘Partner and Family Sick Time’ benefits for all of Starbucks’ U.S. employees. Starbucks is giving employees a number of additional perks, including increased wages, stock grants, six-week paid parental leave for non-birth giving parents and five days of paid … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí More than 3 years ago, I blogged about the unjustified criticism received by then-New York Mets (and now Washington Nationals) baseball player Daniel Murphy when he missed 2 baseball games for the birth of his child. That criticism – much of it voiced by other athletes and sports commentators … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Let’s go back to happier times … for Pittsburgh Steelers fans, that is. On January 15, 2017, the Steelers won the AFC Divisional playoff, moving the team to the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots the following Sunday. (Cue the “Boos”). The players were elated. The post-game … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí It is that time of year again – Holiday Party Season! What’s a party without alcohol, and what’s a law blog without a curmudgeon preaching moderation and reasonableness? (Paramount Pictures’ 2016 trailer for Office Christmas Party shows just how out of control these parties can get!) We all know the … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí It’s hard to turn on a TV, read the news, or walk into a social setting without hearing about the election. As we head into the full-blown campaign season, we want to remind you that federal tax law specifically prohibits political campaign activity by employers that are tax exempt … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Not long ago, we blogged about social media as a blessing and a curse for employers. On the one hand, social media helps businesses market products and services; on the other, social media provides employees with an easily-accessible platform to draw negative attention to the business. To prevent (or minimize) … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí It is that time of year again. According to a Society for Human Resources Management survey discussed in the South Florida Sun Sentinel, fewer employers plan to host a holiday party this year. However, many of those employers who are hosting a party plan to spend more this year, … Continue Reading
Employers in Australia may be scrambling to update their social media and anti-bullying policies in light of a finding by the Fair Work Commission (FWC), Australia’s national workplace relations tribunal, that Facebook “unfriending” may constitute workplace bullying. The FWC was tasked with analyzing whether Rachael Roberts — a real estate agent sales administrator — was … Continue Reading
First, there was Take Your Child to Work Day. Then, Take Your Dog to Work Day (yes, this is a real event that started in 1999) and now, there is “Take Your Parents to Work Day”. On November 6, 2014, LinkedIn is encouraging businesses across the globe to allow employees to bring their parents to … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí The football may be fantasy, but how real is its effect on productivity in your workplace? A recent report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., an employment consulting firm, states that fantasy football, with an estimated 31 million working-age participants, may cost employers close to $14 billion. According to … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí Can You Hear Us Now? While there is no question that employee productivity is a concern for all employers, there is at least one study supporting the notion that short “smartphone” breaks during the workday may not only be inevitable but actually a good thing. A doctoral student at … Continue Reading
Ver la versión en español aquí The explosion in popularity of social media has, in my opinion, been a blessing and a curse for businesses. On the one hand, social media helps businesses market products and services, and reach-out to current and potential customers, with relative ease and little cost. On the other hand, social … Continue Reading
Kudos to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who, like a true HR professional, fined Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling $2.5 million and banned Sterling for life from the NBA. The punishment came last week on the heels of a leaked audio recording in which Sterling is heard scolding V. Stiviano, Sterling’s “personal assistant” (code name … Continue Reading
A NLRB judge recently ruled that a non-profit’s discharge of two employees for having an inappropriate conversation on Facebook about the non-profit did not run afoul of the National Labor Relations Act. Click here for copy of the case. On July 30, 2012, the non-profit, a corporation that ran an after school teen center in … Continue Reading
A New Jersey federal court ruled this week that “private” Facebook wall posts are covered by the Stored Communications Act (“SCA”). The SCA is a federal law that, among other things, prohibits unauthorized access of communications stored on the internet. Deborah Ehling, a former Monmouth-Ocean Hospital Service Corp. nurse, posted comments on her Facebook wall … Continue Reading
Employers, union and non-union alike, have been spinning their wheels every time the NLRB comes out with a new case, general counsel memorandum or advice memorandum slamming a generally accepted employment policy. This past year, we have seen the NLRB take on social media policies, collective action waivers, at-will disclaimers and confidentiality rules. This time, … Continue Reading
Am I the only blogger who has a problem with social media? My twelve year old is addicted to his smart phone and Instagram. I constantly get poked from Facebook users. I read with dismay how administrative law judges interpreting the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) have invalidated employers’ efforts to place some limits on … Continue Reading
The National Labor Relations Board Acting General Counsel Lafe E. Solomon issued his third report on employees’ social media use on May 30. We previously blogged about the first report (see NLRB Issues Guidance on Social Media Policies) and several other NLRB cases involving social media. This recent report focuses on the lawfulness of several … Continue Reading
We have been commenting on the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) recent decisions on the lawfulness of social media policies. An NLRB Administrative Law Judge recently struck down a portion of a company’s social media policy that prohibited employees from commenting on work-related legal matters without the express permission of the company’s legal department. The … Continue Reading
