Category: EntertainHR

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

Peter Dinklage takes on Elf

It’s December, which means that those of us holiday fanatics can decorate and watch Christmas movies to our hearts’ content without shame.  Of course, I won’t tell anyone if you already had your tree up in November (like me) or if you never took it down from last year.  One of my favorite Christmas movies […]

Mila Kunis’ open letter on gender bias at work

Many people know actor Mila Kunis for her role in the TV series “That ’70s Show” and her film roles in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the drama Black Swan. Kunis has recently been in the headlines for her open letter on sexism in Hollywood and the workplace entitled, “You’ll Never Work in This Town Again…” […]

Be prepared even if taking the wait-and-see approach

My son is addicted to movie trailers. Don’t get me wrong, I love movie trailers myself, but my son takes it to another level. I recently checked the YouTube history on the iPad we permit our kids to use and found that instead of playing games on the multitude of kid-friendly applications we downloaded, my […]

Office Christmas Party–strategies to avoid the legal fallout

You may be wondering why I selected to write about a movie that is not yet in the theaters.  Truthfully, I do not need to see the movie to write about its relevance to HR issues. In fact, all that’s necessary is to read the title—Office Christmas Party. Yes, we are in Human Resources. What […]

Yes, Cher, you can ‘Turn Back Time’—you’ll just have to pay for it

By the way, if you haven’t heard, the Cubs won something called “the World Series.” Our long, national nightmare—arrogant Cubs fans—has now officially begun. Now, onto things that actually matter.  This past weekend, we rolled the clocks back. And though we got an extra hour of sleep (well, you may have—I have two children under […]

Employers haunted by Halloween

Happy Halloween! We hope you are getting only treats today and no tricks. But in keeping with the holiday spirit, today’s post highlights some unintended tricks employers may face from Halloween.    Many employers will have already hosted a Halloween office party or allowed employees to dress up today to celebrate, but the Halloween festivities, whether […]

Terminating the walking dead employee: What would Negan do?

Like many of you, I am still reeling from last night’s brutal season opener of The Walking Dead. Looking at the episode through the lens of an employment lawyer, a few thoughts came to mind: first, Negan’s managerial style is a tad harsh; second, he could really use some training on positive motivation techniques; and […]

Hurricane

Hurricane season brings unique employer issues

In the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, evacuation orders are lifting and recovery efforts are in their early stages. Employers are facing a number of storm-related issues as they prepare to resume normal operations. Here are just a few of the questions employers are asking.  1.  Does the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) require me to pay […]

What we learned: talent placement lessons from UT football and U.S. Ryder Cup team

Sports are about players making plays. Coaches and managers can break down film, scheme, and motivate all they want. But, when the game is on the line, execution is all that matters. As the ole ball coach said, “It’s not about the X’s and O’s, it’s about the Jimmy’s and Joe’s.” This truth was on […]

NASCAR’s racing to defend race discrimination lawsuit—is your company ready?

Earlier this week, news broke that NASCAR is being sued for alleged racial discrimination. NASCAR insists the case has no merit, but only time will tell the outcome. When the rubber meets the road, will your business be ready to defend against a race discrimination lawsuit? Fortunately, there are steps every business can take to […]