Connecticut Employment Law Blog Insight on Labor & Employment Developments for Connecticut Businesses

Tag Archives: policy

What Would The NLRB Think of Apple’s Social Media Policy?

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Labor Law & NRLB, Social Media

This morning, I had the opportunity to talk with members of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce about social media and the law.  My thanks to that organization for the invitation. We talked for a while about the National Labor Relations Board’s stance on broad social media policies — something which I’ve discussed many times… Continue Reading

Breakfast with the NLRB Region 34 Director – What’s New?

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Labor Law & NRLB

Last year, I published a series of posts about the Connecticut Bar Association’s breakfast with NLRB Region 34 Director Jonathan Kreisberg. Kreisberg repeated that breakfast earlier this week. Although I was unable to personally attend, breakfast organizer Nicole Bernabo was kind enough to recap the event and agreed to share her recollections for the blog…. Continue Reading

What Employers Need to Know About Google+

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Highlight, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Manager & HR Pro’s Resource Center, Social Media

Long time readers of the blog may be getting a feeling of deja vu with the title of the post. After all, it was about two years ago that I wrote about Google Wave.  That product was going to change the world way we communicate. (Fortunately, I didn’t make such bold predictions, other than to… Continue Reading

Facebook Firing Case Settles; But Another Social Media Case at the NLRB May Be Rising

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

The news came late Monday: The NLRB’s case against an employer for allegedly firing an employee due to a Facebook post had settled.  The background of that case can be found in one of my November 2010 posts.  The case name is: American Medical Response of Connecticut, Inc., 34-CA-12576. The terms of the settlement were not fully… Continue Reading

The “Public” vs. “Private” Facebook Page: Thorny Issues for Employers

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

Are you scared of social media yet?  That seems to be the approach of newly-minted legal "experts" telling employers to be on guard for employees who use social media with the added suggestion that you can (and perhaps should) fire anyone who says anything silly or mildly inappropriate on Facebook.  If only it were that… Continue Reading

Another Example of Why Your Company Now Needs a Social Media Policy

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

Heather Armstrong — depending on your perspective — is either infamous or famous. Infamous, in the sense that in 2002, she was one of the first people fired by her employer for writing about company business on her blog, Dooce. But since that time, she’s only become much more famous, with her spirited writing and… Continue Reading

Facebook Fatigue: How Issues Over Employee Use of Social Media Have Become Mainstream

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

Another day, another story about an employee in hot water over Facebook posts.  It’s becoming so commonplace that I must admit a bit of Facebook Fatigue on the subject.  I mean, how many stories do we need about an employee who says something that they think is private on Facebook only to later discover that… Continue Reading

When Everyone Has Their Own Smart Phone, What Does That Mean for the “Workplace”?

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak to a large group at the Connecticut Community Providers Association in Rocky Hill about social media and compliance issues. The Connecticut Community Providers Association represents organizations that provide services and supports for children and adults with disabilities and significant challenges including people with substance use disorders, mental illness,… Continue Reading

School Board Considers Social Media Usage Policy for Teachers, Other Employees

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

For a few years now, I’ve been describing how social media policies are moving into the mainstream.  No longer can employers simply cover their eyes and ears to what is going on with Facebook and Twitter. Example No. 592: West Hartford, Connecticut is considering a policy that would place certain restrictions on what school employees say,… Continue Reading

From the CBIA HR Conference: What Happens On Facebook May Not Stay on Facebook

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

We had a great turnout and reaction to the presentation yesterday at the CBIA Human Resources Conference in Rocky Hill. My thanks to all who sat in our packed room and the great questions that everyone asked. A few observations from the conference: The lines between work and personal activities continue to get blurred and… Continue Reading

Law & Technology Symposium: The Power of Social Media Through Donuts

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

At the Connecticut Bar Foundation’s Law & Technology Symposium on Friday at UConn Law School, we spent some time talking about social media and the power of social networking. Many were convinced; some were not. For employers, it’s still a scary subject. The loss of control and of messaging is just too much for many… Continue Reading

Who’s the Mayor of Your Company? What Employers Need to Know About Location-Based Networks Like Foursquare

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

Ben P. is mayor of the Hartford Insurance Group.  Craig W. is mayor of The Hartford Courant.  Matt T. is major of RBS in Stamford. Who’s mayor of your company? By now, I expect the vast majority of you to be thinking: "Has this guy lost his mind? You can’t be mayor of a company!"… Continue Reading

What You Can Learn From a Group of Graduate Students About Social Media & Employment Law

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

Last night, I had the privilege of speaking to a graduate-level class at the University of Hartford. (My thanks to Professor Olga Clark for the invitation). The topic of the discussion overall was the interaction of social media and employment law.  It’s a talk that I’ve given before, but the class had some unique questions… Continue Reading

Progressive Discipline Policies: What They Are And Understanding Risks and Benefits to Them

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Discrimination & Harassment

"Progressive Discipline" is a policy or practice that, over the years, has fallen out of favor with some employers. What is it? It’s a practice — found also in some collective bargaining agreements — that typically provides a multi-step disciplinary process for many employment policy violations: a verbal warning, a written warning, a suspension, and… Continue Reading

Creating Guidelines for Employees to Engage in Social Media

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

I was honored to speak today at a presentation for CBIA entitled "Social Media for Business". We had a packed crowd today and it was a great opportunity to hear from others in Connecticut who are really using social media to enhance their business and build their reputation as a thought leader. We used Twitter today… Continue Reading

Snow Day! (Or Not) – Employers Have Flexibility on Winter Storm Policies

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance

Nothing like a good snowy (and now messy) morning commute to start the day off right.  But as the snow changes to rain around the Hartford area, today’s storm is a good reminder to dust off those snow policies and make sure that it’s up-to-date.  While public schools routinely close on such days (and hence… Continue Reading

Quick Hits: GINA, EEOC’s New Website, NLRB Decisions, Top 100 Blogs

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Labor Law & NRLB, Laws and Regulations, Legislative Developments, Litigation, Social Media

Over the weekend, I was asked: How do you keep coming up with ideas for the blog? My response was that I use Google Reader to flag stories that may be of interest. Unfortunately, over the last few weeks, I’ve been flagging more stories than I’ve had time to write about.  So, now seems a… Continue Reading

Affirmative Action Forms for State Contracts: Is This The Best Way?

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance

To work on State of Connecticut contracts with the Department of Transportation, various contractors have to set up an affirmative action plan.  If they do not have one on file with the DOT, the Department’s Division of Contract Compliance will send out the following letter. So what to do if you don’t have a plan?… Continue Reading

Connecticut Supreme Court to Hear Cases With All Seven Members

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Litigation

The Connecticut Supreme Court late yesterday announced a sweeping change to its policy on hearing cases.  Beginning next week, the Court will hear arguments and decide cases on an "en banc" basis — meaning that all seven members of the court (absent a disqualification or recusal) will now decide the cases. Previously, civil cases, such… Continue Reading

Materials from Webinar on the Intersection of Social Media & Employment Law Now Available Online

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

Thanks to all who joined us at today’s webinar that looked at the employment law ramifications of employment law.  We had over 100 people sign up for this session. For those who were unable to join us, you can download a variety of materials related to the webinar. They are: The powerpoint presentation; The recording… Continue Reading

Reminder: Webinar on the Intersection Between Social Media & Employment Law Set for Wednesday

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

Although we already have record registration for our next webinar (scheduled for Wednesday, August 12th at noon EDT), it’s not too late to register here. At this webinar, I’ll discuss the basics of some of the most popular social media platforms (like Twitter) and the effect and implications that these sites have on your workplace.  … Continue Reading

Fox 61 Reporter Discrimination Case: FAQ, Analysis and What’s Next – Part II

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Litigation

Last week, I discussed the basics of some of the claims of discrimination and harassment filed by Fox 61 reporter Shelly Sindland.  Today, I’ll discuss some more specifics of the claim and some of the possible defenses by the employer, to provide additional context.  The case provides an excellent starting point to discuss several different… Continue Reading

One Week to Go Before New Privacy Rules Kick In for Companies in Connecticut (Public Act 08-167)

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Laws and Regulations

Don’t say you weren’t warned. Back in June, I had a detailed post about a new state law that will require many companies to enact measures to protect Social Security numbers and other typers of "personal information".  The new law, Public Act 08-167 (called "An Act Concerning the Confidentiality of Social Security Numbers"), is just a week… Continue Reading

When a Hurricane Does Hit Connecticut, What Are The Workplace Rules Regarding Storms?

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance

As Tropical Storm Fay continues to pound Florida this week, I was recently reminded that it’s been 23 years since Connecticut suffered a direct hit from a Hurricane — the infamous Hurricane Gloria.  No worries then for Connecticut, right? Wrong. Connecticut has been hit by several tropical storms since then – just like Fay — and… Continue Reading