Hostile Work Environment With Marc And Dennis

We have a very special episode–our last. We go out with a bang, starting with a news item of a very unique form of harassment, and where we learn not to go to your boss for a pelvic exam.  Then, we go through four different listener submitted stories, and give a very special heartfelt thanks…

What topic was so horrifically awful that even Dennis didn’t think Marc should present it to a live audience?  Listen and find out…if you dare! We also launch a new segment we like to call “Dennis Corrects His Wild, Flaming Idiocy.” And as per usual, a listener-submitted story that is way better than 98% of…

What are the top five employment law risks you should know about? Is it okay to classify your fast food workers as executives? How can a job interview lead to a lawsuit? Is Catholo-Satanism a real religion? Marc and Dennis explore these topics live before a studio audience at the NW Enterprise Risk forum in…

Why did Google employees around the globe walk off of their jobs last week? Are their demands reasonable? Do they want to use Internet Explorer? And should you conduct a police-style lineup to identify the employee who submitted an unsolicited explicit photo of himself?

Wow – our 50th episode, and it was recorded live! Four great stories all about workplace onanism. When is an employer responsible for preventing its employees from murdering one another? And two listener-submitted stories from a live, living and breathing listener! Recorded live at PHRMA’s Member Appreciation event in Portland Oregon on October 24, 2018.…

So, you fired the person you concluded committed a workplace sexual assault – and now that person is suing you for sex discrimination!  Can that happen?  Marc and Dennis discuss what duties (if any) employers owe suspected harassers. Also, learn what happens when a 77 year old boss fires an 80 year old employee–could it…

Can a workplace lawfully ban dreadlocks? Is that racist, or anti-Rastafarian? Does a policy banning “caps” apply to headscarves? Also, what do you do if you inadvertently say a really racist thing to a newly hired employee? (Pro Tip – don’t just fire them!)

Is it a BFOQ for a judge to know the rules of evidence, or how to make a cogent argument? Should that go double for a Supreme Court Justice?  Marc and Dennis (both admitted Bolsheviks) give their take on the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation mess.  And seriously check out this article we discovered after we recorded,…

We’ve been waiting a long time to talk about this one:  service animals! What is a “real” service animal? What do you do when an employee shows up with their “emotional support wolverine?” What should you do when a coworker is allergic to another coworker’s service cat? Also, can you really fire someone because they…

Marc and Dennis are coming to you from #ASHHRA18 in beautiful Pittsburgh PA! Why does the U.S. Women’s soccer team get paid a fourth of what the Men’s team gets paid, even though they are clearly way, way better? What is our podcasting buddy Jon Thurmond up to these days? What inappropriate message did one coworker…

Which is the more heinous offense:  Using a bad pun on your name as a business name, or forcing your employees to attend bible study during working hours? Do your good intentions outweigh your employment law violations? What does a pre-millennial think about the modern workplace?  (hint-it involves farts.) And finally, is there a difference…

Here’s a topic we never thought we’d have to talk about: Slavery. Turns out human trafficking and indentured servitude still exists in the American Workplace (well, at least two workplaces in South Carolina and a Thai restaurant in Portland). We also never thought we’d talk about Marc’s career as a dollar-store cashier, but here we…

Don’t you just hate it when the strippers you thought were properly classified turn out to be employees and sue you for unpaid overtime? What do you mean that’s never happened to you – you think you’re better than us, don’t you? Well, we talk about strippers and cheesecake in this episode. And how filming…

What should a hospital do when a patient insists on a female doctor?  A Muslim therapist?  A white nurse?  Marc and Dennis break down the legal issues that arise when a customer demands service based on gender, religion or in some cases, race. What if your religion forbids you from shaking hands with the opposite sex?…

We can’t advise strongly enough against posting revenge porn.  Especially if you happen to be an airline pilot and you name your employer when you post it.  But what is an employer to do?  Find out what they shouldn’t do in this episode! What do you do if you get an unsolicited booty call text? …

Since I’m a small employer, I can totally discriminate against people, right?  Not so fast!  Marc and Dennis talk about the importance of location, location, location when it comes to employment law compliance. Our first advertisement!  (We just need to collect our bill, and we’ll be rolling in dough). And, a great listener-submitted story about…

I am writing to inform you that Marc has decided to leave the Hostile Work Environment to spend more time with his family, and Dennis has decided to leave to pursue other interests. (Just kidding — we’re here to stay. ) But we do talk about what special guest and People and Culture professional extraordinaire…

Marc and Dennis return to their favorite industry – funeral homes – to discuss a serious issue: What should you do when you find out the owner of the company is engaging in horrific sex harassment (which may or may not involve corpses)? Why is higher education-in particular, the sciences-a hotbed of gender discrimination? Why…

It’s hot out there, so some employees are making it hot in here by ignoring standards of appropriate dress! Like, can you wear the stars and bars to work? Can your boss make you wear high heels? How much thong is too much thong? Then we have an update about our friend who was fired…

Some people work for peanuts, other people won’t work in a workplace with peanuts — Marc and Dennis explore a disability lawsuit where peanuts figure quite prominently. Dennis tells an international tale with an interesting defense to a sex harassment claim. And Marc tells an uplifting tale of workplace body odor and how a social…