Category: EntertainHR

Posts focus on what not to do in the workplace, based on examples from television, film, and other popular media.

EntertainHR: Caitlin Clark Fever and the Gender Wage Gap

As a proud South Carolinian, I was delighted to watch the undefeated Gamecocks women’s basketball team take home another NCAA Championship this year. Being the parent of a budding female athlete (when my daughter isn’t busy finishing fourth grade) and basketball fan made the Gamecocks’ headline-grabbing journey to the NCAA finals all the more exciting. However, […]

EntertainHR: The Long Night Brings Long Hours – Lessons in Wage and Hour Law from True Detective Season 4

The long-awaited return of the hit anthology series, True Detective, is finally back. In True Detective: Night Country, showrunner Issa Lopez places viewers directly in the heart of Alaska during the polar night, a period of complete darkness lasting two full months. During this period of perpetual night, leads Jodi Foster and Kali Reis, who […]

EntertainHR: Marvel’s Echo Teaches Employers About the Importance of Accommodations in the Workplace

The character of Maya Lopez (a/k/a Echo) was first introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Hawkeye as the leader of the Track Suit Mafia, the crime syndicate run by Wilson Fisk. After Maya learns her father was killed on Fisk’s orders, Maya leaves the syndicate and shoots Fisk. Echo starts a few months later […]

EntertainHR: Gamehendge – What Phish’s Music Can Teach Employers about Handbooks

Phish fans were in for a very special treat at the band’s recent New Year’s Eve 2023 concert at Madison Square Garden. For the first time in 29 years, the band played its Gamehendge set in full to the delight of its dedicated followers. The musical set originated from lead singer Trey Anastasio’s senior college project […]

EntertainHR: No Laughing Matter – A Lesson in Hiring Discrimination from Katt Williams’ Viral Interview

Comedian and actor, Micah “Katt” Williams has officially broken the internet. Katt’s viral interview on former NFL star Shannon Sharpe’s, podcast, “Club Shay Shay,” has been viewed over 50 million times (and counting) since it aired on January 3, 2024. The interview has earned so much buzz that even Saturday Night Live could not pass […]

EntertainHR: Can Employers Do That? The Limits of Free Speech

Public debate about the Israel-Hamas war demonstrates that Americans have strong, and often divergent, views on important social and political issues. Believing that their right to express those views is firmly grounded in the First Amendment, celebrities and high-profile figures are freely expressing highly controversial opinions through a variety of means – social media, signs, […]

Best of EntertainHR 2023

Pop culture—the modern “popular culture” transmitted via the mass media and aimed particularly at younger people—shapes and is shaped by the world around us. And, with nearly 5.5 billion TV viewers worldwide, it’s no surprise that news in sports, music, and entertainment is at the forefront of many people’s media consumption. That said, HR leaders […]

EntertainHR: Yippee-Ki-Yay! Best Practices for Your Holiday Party

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, the first frost has turned to the first snow (at least here in the Upper Midwest), and Michigan has beaten Ohio State (again), the transition to holiday season is underway, and everyone can resume their favorite December debate. Contrary to popular opinion, it’s not:  a) should adults receive gifts from […]