Category: HR Strange But True

By Kyle Emshwiller A 74-year-old former lifeguard has won an age discrimination suit against Nassau County after he was fired for failing a swim test. While it may seem straightforward to fire a lifeguard for not passing such a test, the man was not too happy considering that teens who failed were allowed to continue […]

By Elaine Quayle A teacher who started in the profession in 1955 (not a typo), and signed up to be a paraprofessional after 1 week of retirement, has been rehired by a Connecticut school system. At age 82, she hired a lawyer to make sure she was offered a contract for the coming school year […]

By Elaine V. Quayle, BLR Editor Even in this poor economy, somebody has to be the highest paid. But the number one earner on this year’s Forbes list of the “Top 10 Highest-Paid Actresses” may be a real surprise—and so are her earnings! While many favorites remain on the list of highest-earnings actresses, this year’s […]

By Elaine Quayle She was 46 years old. She had worked before her first marriage, held a high-profile, “nonprofit” job, and endured some traumatic and turbulent years. Maybe a job was just what she needed. But Jackie Kennedy Onassis certainly was no ordinary applicant! She was Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, a former First Lady, but […]

By Elaine V. Quayle When Lady Gaga was hit in the head during a concert in New Zealand, suffering a self-described “clonker” [concussion] and black eyes, there was one conclusion that savvy workplace experts could arrive at—she needs some preposterous PPE to protect her. And she may be just the person to design it! When […]

By Kyle Emshwiller To get creative juices flowing, Jonah Lehrer, author of Imagine: How Creativity Works, , suggests quick and easy ways to rest your brain and maximize productivity. Among other relaxation techniques, he suggests making the most of your commute to work. In Lehrer’s book, highlighted in American Express Open Forum, he advises workers […]

By Kyle Emshwiller Airline personnel aren’t the only ones getting in trouble for being distracted on the job. A passenger recently caught a Metro-North engineer on camera reading the paper while operating the train, looking up occasionally to check the tracks. The passenger then posted the video to YouTube. The engineer was reportedly the only […]

By Elaine Quayle If you are planning on flying to your vacation site, you may not want to read about the behavior of some pilots and controllers during work hours. You’ve seen the video of air traffic controllers glued to their screens in total concentration.  Unfortunately, they may be watching movies, playing video games, or […]

By: Elaine Quayle Sure, you want your employees to stay in shape. Running long distance—how great! But you don’t want them running in over 80 long-distance races when they are on workers’ comp. A Florida postal worker was out on WC for a back injury. According to Yahoo! News, she was therefore relieved of carrying […]

By: Elaine Quayle We at HRSBT often report on workers’ compensation scandals but have never yet reported that the scandal was about the judge. Well, man does bite dog! Media outlets report a WC judge in Oklahoma knew he was not being reappointed.  Contemplating being out of work, he met with an attorney for lunch […]