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What I've Been Reading This Week


It was tough to narrow down this post to a few articles this week.  However, I think the ones I chose will give readers a few good points to consider.  In particular, pay attention to the "Ban the Box" article from Tara Eberline.  That was one of the better researched and thought out articles that I have read recently about the topic.

As always, below are a few articles that caught my eye this week.


"Ban the Box" is Moving Across the Country

For those who have followed the blog, I have kept track of "Ban the Box" measures around the country over the past few years.  This particular article from Tara Eberline does a good job breaking down exactly what "Ban the Box" is (for those who do not know or are looking for a refresher) and follows up with a look at what jurisdictions have "Ban the Box" legislation in effect.  Well worth a review!


Amazon: A Potential Issue For Employers to Consider

Jeff Nowak has a good article that addresses some of the recent alleged issues that have arisen at Amazon lately (late night e-mails to employees, "cut-throat" tactics that pit employees against each other, overly long work hours, etc.).  While Jeff points out some of the alleged issues, he narrows the scope down and reminds readers to take a step back and look at the big picture.  This is a good read for employers and employees alike.


What Employers Can Do to Prevent Workplace Violence

I always enjoy the articles Eric Meyer posts, and this one was no exception.  Given the unfortunate shooting in Virginia recently of two journalists who were killed by a co-worker, Eric wrote a note about what employers can do to prevent workplace violence.  While there is no guaranteed "stop gap", Eric has a few helpful suggestions for employers to consider implementing.


Another Look at Unlimited Vacation & Parental Leave

This is a good article from Scott Kinnaird about the evolving landscape in the workplace when it comes to unlimited vacation and parental leave policies.  As Scott noted, these new policies are still in the experimental phase but could actually prove to be a boon for employers and employees alike.

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What I’ve Been Reading This Week

A few years ago, I remember when the “Fight for $15” movement was taking off around the country.  Lo and behold, it appears that a $15/hour minimum wage is not the stopping point, which should be no surprise.  As the below article notes, New York is aggressively moving to ramp up hourly wage rates even higher.  While all the  below articles are worth a read, I called particular attention to that one. As always, below are a couple article that caught my eye this week. Disney World Workers Reject Latest Contract Offer Late last week, it was announced that workers at Disney World had rejected the most recent contract offer from the company, calling on their employer to do better.  As Brooks Barnes at The New York Times writes, the unions that represent about 32,000 workers at Disney World reported their members resoundingly rejected the 5 year contract offer which would have seen workers receive a 10% raise and retroactive increased back pay.  While Disney’s offer would have increased pa