New Law in Arizona: Reduced Liability for Employers Hiring Ex-Offenders
A new Arizona law taking effect August 3 provides a broad exemption from negligent hiring claims for employers that hire workers who have criminal convictions.
Tag: Employment law
How to Balance the Need for Surveillance Against Protected Activity?
We see it all the time on the news, on our social media websites, and in everyday life: video footage from someone’s cell phone capturing a moment, whether it’s a viral sensation or a mundane video of a cat napping. And sure enough, cellphone recordings happen in the workplace, too. Sometimes cellphone usage is acceptable […]
Some Employment Law and Workplace-Related Thoughts Regarding Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You
A couple of weekends ago, I saw Sorry to Bother You, a film written and directed by Boots Riley. The film—Riley’s first—has received much acclaim and currently has a 95% critics’ rating on the website Rotten Tomatoes.
Defamation Claims: Stormy Days and Muddy Waters
Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, is suing a sitting U.S. president for defamation. She claims she had a brief affair with Donald Trump in 2006 and was paid to keep quiet about it on the eve of the 2016 election. President Trump tweeted his thoughts about her credibility, and the defamation lawsuit followed. Roy […]
The First Amendment and Burping
At the beginning of one episode of The Simpsons, Bart is seen writing “The First Amendment does not cover burping” on the blackboard. Although the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law abridging” freedom of speech, more than two centuries of practical application have taught us that even the […]
Belief That Vaccines Are Harmful Does Not Equal Religious Belief
The antivaccination movement has been gaining traction in the United States for several years, much to the chagrin of safety-minded employers. While businesses offer ever-broader benefits to limit the business impact of nationwide pandemics, including on-site flu clinics, many employees refuse to participate and lower the efficacy of vaccinations for those who do.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: a Female Comic Finds Her Voice on Gender Politics in a “Be Pretty” Society
Amazon’s hit show, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, follows the life and struggles of Miriam “Midge” Maisel (played by Rachel Brosnahan), a Jewish housewife living in the Big Apple in the 1950s. As the show begins, Midge seems to be leading a charmed life with a beautiful home, adorable children, and a successful husband (Joel, played […]
Don’t Let an Offhanded Comment Bring About a Lawsuit
Performance reviews, when done correctly, can fulfill a critical role in managing employees’ performance and boosting productivity to higher levels. But more often than not, performance evaluations are viewed as a necessary evil by the managers required to complete evaluations and approached with trepidation by the employees receiving them. The problem with approaching the performance […]
Does Giztoob Get it Right?
In a recent episode of “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” Kimmy settles into a new job in management / human resources at a small tech startup company, Giztoob. Her boss orders her to fire an employee because he’s always late. Kimmy agrees that this particular employee “does a bad job” and needs to be fired, but […]
Minimum Wage Hike and Paid Leave Program Coming to Massachusetts
A new law will soon take effect in Massachusetts, where employees will be eligible for paid family and medical leave and will also see an increase in the minimum wage. Governor Charlie Baker signed the bill on June 28, which will require all private employers in the state to offer paid family and medical leave […]