Connecticut Employment Lawyer & Attorney : Daniel Schwartz : Stamford, Hartford New Haven, CT

With my trial now over (and post-trial motions now beginning), it's time finally to catch up on some of the posts I've flagged over the last few weeks, but haven't had a chance to remark on.  Over the next week or two, I'll be commenting on other developments. As you might expect after coming off a nearly-month long trial, there's quite a backlog of work and issues to get to so with a little patience, I hope you'll be rewarded.  Here's the first batch of notable posts:

• Just when you think things can't get any weirder, the National Law Journal publishes its annual Top Ten list of wackiest employment law cases.  My favotite, Number 4 - the employee had "Jesus-guy syndrome."  (H/T Ohio Employer's Law Blog)
• Wait a Second Blog reports this week on a notable Second Circuit case that held for the first time that employment discrimination laws are violated when a white employee is fired for being married to a black woman. The case is Holcomb v. Iona College, decided on April 1.
• The Laconic Law Blog reports on new opinion letters by the U.S. Department of Labor regarding Fair Labor Standards Act.  The opinions are on fairly technical provisions but they may help clarify issues for public employers, law enforcement, and purchasing agents.
• With the NCAA tournament wrapping up (and my bracket entry down in flames), the Nolo's Employment Law Blog reports on the effect of March Madness on the workplace.  I tend to think its a bit overstated.  Is there interest? Yes. But American Idol probably has more buzz in the office (and is much more watched) but there aren't lots of articles about that show.
  
• And Evil HR Lady has the advice and story of an employer who received the non-resignation resignation letter.  You have to read it to believe it. 
  

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Today's Guest Blogger is Evil HR Lady.  I should tell you that I do know her first name; but she has told me that she'd hunt me down if I revealed her identity.  So instead, I've asked her to provide a short blurb to introduce her; here was her candid response:

Evil HR Lady works for a Fortune 500 Company making sure that as many people as possible get fired. Hence, the Evil part of her name. She blogs and takes questions here.

Nothing like an HR person with a sense of humor, right? Well, she also has a very entertaining blog that part Ask Amy, and part Jack and Suzy Welch.  Her bio "picture" is of brownies.  But her wit aside, it's good reading for some down-to-earth HR advice, without all the legal jargon. 

Here are her thoughts on one company's blogging policy:

Wal-mart doesn't exactly have the best reputation in the blogosphere.

For example: Wake-Up Walmart is dedicated to exposing the company's wrongs. The popular (and now defunct, as the author quit her Wal-Mart job) Behind the Counter detailed how Wal-Mart's policies resulted in bad behavior by customers. And, back in the blogging dark ages (2006), Wal-Mart had to admit that a public relations firm was writing a blog that purported to be independent.

I'm not going to get into the reasons for the lack of Wal-mart love. For full disclosure, I occasionally shop at Wal-mart, and would do so more often if it were: a) closer to me and b) didn't require a 3 hour wait in a checkout line.

All of these things considered (and the fact that I used to work at rival K-Mart, which has it's own nightmare stories), I was shocked to find the New York Times reporting that Wal-mart buyers were writing an uncensored blog.

Wow. That takes guts in the business world. Sure, it's one thing to trust your employees with your customers. It's another thing to let them loose on the internet.

The internet is forever.

Don't believe me? Just try deleting your Facebook page to hide your foolish exploits of youth from a googling supervisor. Even if you succeed, there's no guarantee that someone else hasn't copied, posted and preserved what you said originally.

So, I'm officially impressed. Well, not officially, officially. We'll see how the blog goes and if upper management (and the PR people) can keep their hands off it. If they can, and it remains "uncensored" (and the employees writing it continue to feel free to express their true opinions), then I'll be officially impressed.

Editor's note: Hearing the Evil HR Lady name, I can't help but think of the classic ELO song, Evil Woman. Fortunately, there's already someone who combined that song with another favorite: Lost.  You can take a gander below:

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