Category: EntertainHR

Posts focus on what not to do in the workplace, based on examples from television, film, and other popular media.

sins

Leaks and whistleblowers and liability, oh my!

Leaks are everywhere. They happen in politics, in sports, in the entertainment industry, in people’s everyday lives, and (unfortunately for many of us, myself included) in the roofs and pipes in our homes. How do we know that Kyrie Irving wants a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers? Someone leaked it to a reporter. We know […]

Stuntman’s death on ‘The Walking Dead’ set a sad reminder of common workplace hazards

Tragically, stuntman John Bernecker died last week in Atlanta after falling 30 feet to a concrete floor while working on a fight scene for AMC’s zombie-apocalypse series “The Walking Dead.” In response, the show temporarily halted production of its eighth season, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) opened an investigation.  According to OSHA, […]

New media rating seeks to bring common sense to gender stereotyping

When my son was five and constantly arguing and negotiating for extra dessert or whatever it was that he wanted at any given time, people would often say, “You should be a lawyer!” His response was always: “I don’t want to be a lawyer because that’s a girl’s job.” While slightly humorous because lawyers are […]

Tesla’s CEO makes personal pledge for employee safety

Tesla, an electric-automobile manufacturer, made headlines last month after Worksafe, a California-based worker advocacy group, released a report indicating that the injury rates at Tesla’s Fremont manufacturing facility were higher than the industry average in 2014 and 2015. For example, the report indicated that the rate of serious injuries at Tesla’s Fremont plant (i.e., those […]

Wonder Woman and the fight against unconscious bias

Not only has the recently released Wonder Woman movie garnered mainly favorable reviews, but it has been highly successful at the box office, having made more than $200 million domestically in its first two weeks of release alone. From a purely movie industry insider perspective, the success of Wonder Woman is incredibly important to Warner […]

White House gone wild!

These days, just about anyone with an Internet connection and some time on their hands enjoys a wonder of the modern age: binge-watching. One of the first, and still one of my favorites, is Netflix’s House of Cards. No matter how over-the-top the plot twists become, no matter how difficult it is to follow the […]

Avoid singing the blues: how employers can mitigate wage/hour liability

In the last few years, there have been multiple headlines noting that celebrities are being sued for their (or their businesses’) failure to pay wages in accordance with applicable state and/or federal law. Two such recent lawsuits involved famous singers. First, Lady Gaga had a lawsuit brought against her by her former personal assistant, Jennifer […]

FMLA

Howard Stern’s day off : the danger of digging for details when employees call in sick

Shock Jock Howard Stern took an unexpected day off from his radio show last week which prompted a firestorm of speculation on social media as to the underlying reason for his absence.  Although Stern’s absence was initially attributed to a “personal day,” many fans speculated that Stern’s sick father was the real reason he missed […]

10-step plan for fair and balanced approach to preventing workplace harassment

In less than a year, Fox News has lost its founder and one of its most well-known anchors due to widespread sexual harassment allegations. Fox News recently reported that 20th Century Fox paid $10 million in sexual harassment settlements in the first quarter of 2017 alone. How can Fox News be proactive in avoiding harassment […]

Standing ovation for Adam Jones at Fenway

Last Monday, the Orioles made headlines for more than just their 5-2 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park.  Orioles player Adam Jones reported that Red Sox fans called him a racial slur several times and threw a bag of peanuts at him as he was entering the dugout. Police reportedly ejected 34 people, […]