Hostile Work Environment With Marc And Dennis

Holy punitive damages, Batman!  Marc tells Dennis about the biggest employment case verdict in Massachusetts history. An FBI agent goes off half-cocked (not a euphemism). Trigger warning (no pun intended):  penis tattoos figure heavily in today’s episode.  (Link has profanity and somewhat not safe for work.)

We begin with some practical (but certainly not legal) advice on how to intelligently conduct an equal pay audit without just opening your wallet to the class action lawyers. Marc and Dennis debate whether it is okay to fire your political opponent. We share a truly horrific story about incestuous assaults by employees – and…

It’s the All-Florida Episode! Where can you serve booze to your alcoholic employee, lock them out of the building, and then make them walk home so they get hit by a train?  Florida! Where can you fire a deaf employee for talking too loud?  Florida! Where can you snort mountains of cocaine?  Where can you…

When is it okay to discriminate against gay folks?  (Hint: never.) When is it okay to call someone the C-Word?  (Hint: never.) When is it okay to throw sizzling hot ham in a coworker’s face? (Hint: rarely.) We discuss these issues and  more in this very special episode of the Hostile Work Environment, featuring special…

What do you do when you get fired because your boss tweeted some racist nonsense (and blames it on Ambien)? Marc and Dennis discuss whether the cast and crew of Roseanne have a claim against their twitter-happy star. Should you get all excited because the Supreme Court greenlit class action arbitration agreements? And what are the…

Anyone can complain about sex harassment, but Marc and Dennis discuss more novel ways to take revenge on one’s handsy tormentor. Can MMA fighters unionize? And, what do you do when an executive “let’s it all hang out?”

An episode of nothing but bland filler as we wait for something interesting to happen in the world of employment law. We discuss: The merits of Canadian doughnut chains; Patrons throwing their fecal matter at employees (to be clear, not OUR glorious podcast patrons); Laxative-laced brownies leading to termination; Waterboarding as a fantastic motivational tool for one…

When can you fire someone for their inappropriate behavior – that had nothing to do with work? What if they are the chair of a gigantic law firm? When can you use the job description cliche “other duties as may be assigned” to make someone photograph a murder scene? When can you finally fire the…

Marc and Dennis take on the world of swearing at work. When can you tell the boss to go &$^%#! himself and still keep your job? Learn why referring to your workplace drama as “____gate” might get you into legal hot water. The most epic and disgusting listener submitted story of all time (at least…

Why is Marc’s office building such a historic location? What do buffet restaurant employees and college football players have in common? What is the law of butt dialing? (Thanks Eric Meyer!) What would we talk about without the Southern United States? Should we be reading Cracked Magazine? These questions and many others are answered in…

Marc and Dennis discuss the issues of the day: resume fraud, identity theft, wage theft, wine theft, underage drinking, sitting, standing and powerwashing. Not necessarily in that order. Twitter Facebook Contribute Leave us a review on iTunes!

Can you really get fired for flipping the bird? What if you flip off POTUS’s motorcade? What if you work for a government contractor? What if you post a photo of you flipping off POTUS’s motorcade on Facebook and tell your boss about it? Marc and Dennis are joined by very special guest Kate Bischoff…

Marc and Dennis talk about Jewish Holidays, a clever segue into an epic tale of antisemitism, intolerance, the internet, poor choices, and lard pie crusts. They break down an equally epic live twitter stream of a workplace investigation. Finally, can dead people sue you (without rising from the grave or any of that Twilight nonsense)? …

Dennis returns from trial. We discuss first day of law school scary stories. Marc asks when is a BFOQ really a BFOQ.  A discussion of Hamilton.  Marc totally name-drops Lin Manuel.  Christian colleges discriminate in hiring. A transgender funeral director is victorious. A sobering but compelling listener story. Check us out on Patreon — we now…

So, you think you have a crappy job?  We’re willing to bet it’s not as crappy as this whisteblower’s job in a crematorium.  (Warning-if the title of this episode creeps you out, you should really listen to whatever NPR is offering this week).  A plastic pumpkin leads to an arrest and a case of workers’ comp…

This one is for the recruiters! Marc and Dennis discuss several cases on how recruiters/employers get themselves into legal hot water with hiring. The DOL does an audit and uses math and statistics to bust someone for discrimination in hiring. Another employer failed to promote an employee based on his national origin and religion. Queens bakery…

Updates! More updates! Updates galore! Marc and Dennis go way, way, way back to Episode 1 and give you an update on the "Mark (or is that Marc?) of the Beast Case, which just saw some action at the U.S. Supreme Court! More on the Damore v. Google mess, including an intriguing turnabout. The Second Circuit weighs in on whether Title VII covers sexual orientation, and a listener provides theories on why Oregonians pronounce acronyms as they do. Plus, a listener story involving drinking, groping, more drinking, more groping, and a forced change of venue for the company holiday party.

Can office pranks go horribly, horribly wrong? Of course they can - and to help you prepare for April Fools' day in a little over a month, Marc and Dennis explain how they can get you sued, and suggest some guidelines for avoiding pranks that go too far. A judge gets overturned simply for being a sexist, and a reader story shows how office romance can be misconstrued.

Our hosts talk to Suzanne Lucas, appearing all the way from Switzerland (the land of alphorns, Ricola, yodeling, and bank accounts) on what gifts not to give at work. We learn about a new way to report workplace harassment using artificial intelligence, and for the first time, Marc and Dennis answer a listener question (without so much as a hint of legal advice).

Marc and Dennis welcome Dan Schwartz, employment law blogger pioneer, for a discussion of good things to avoid on Valentine's Day. Dan sticks around for the first every Hostile Work Environment debate, where he and Dennis fight over whether to pronounce each letter in an acronym or to make it into a new word, only to find out that they are both horribly inconsistent. Marc concludes the episode with a heartwarming Axemas tale.