Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
A blog by the attorneys at the law firm of Ford & Harrison about the popular television series “The Office.” Each article takes a look at a different episode, and summarizes the employment law lessons for the week.
Wall Street is taking a beating. Still. AIG’s collapse is just the latest in a series of events that is increasingly having an effect on our lives and the companies we work for. Dunder Mifflin has encountered its share of financial problems including layoffs and even a branch closing. As you recall, the gang in […]
It’s hard to escape all of the political news right now. If you keep an eye out, you can take something away from all the talking heads that you can use at work. Take some of the stories about vice presidential candidate, Governor Sarah Palin. The one that grabbed headlines recently was the story that […]
Labor Day has come and gone. Our summer vacations are over, and it’s almost time for things like the NFL (your company isn’t sponsoring a betting pool, is it?) and the fall TV season, including The Office. In advance of the new season, now might be a good time to review your HR policies and […]
Rainn Wilson (Dwight) has been all over the place lately promoting his new movie and the new season of The Office. One of his more interesting appearances in the media was a Business Week article in which he was interviewed about “office jobs from hell.” It was interesting to learn that Rainn used to work […]
We’re in the middle of election season and the race for the White House. When you’re deciding between McCain and Obama, perhaps it would help if you treated the election like what it really is: a job interview. Sometimes the questions the candidates are asked are ridiculous (boxers or briefs), and sometimes the answers the […]
There is no question that Michael Scott wants all his employees at The Office to like him. He even fessed up to it in the episode where he hit Meredith with his car. Well, sort of — Michael said, “I enjoy being liked. I have to be liked. But it’s not like this compulsive need […]
The world is fully in Olympics mode, including our friends in Scranton, who are surely reliving their own Games of the First Dunder-Mifflin Olympiad. In the episode from the second season, Jim and Pam entertain themselves (while Dwight and Michael are away buying Michael’s condo) by throwing objects into Dwight’s coffee mug. They discover that […]
Much like I wondered whether Santa was real as a kid, I often wonder if there is a real-life Michael Scott out there somewhere. This week, I think that I found the answer! When sales took a slump for a Provo, Utah, company, a supervisor came up with the idea of “waterboarding” one of the […]
Hopefully, the folks at Dunder Mifflin took note of today’s mandated minimum wage increase required under the Fair Minimum Wage Act passed in 2007. As of today, the minimum wage is $6.55; next year, the official federal minimum wage will be increased to $7.25 per hour. While it’s unlikely that this will affect the wages […]
You might have heard that the Supreme Court recently threw out the District of Columbia’s decades-long ban on handguns. Of course, there are limitations. If you are mentally insane or a convicted felon, then you’re out of luck. So, many of our favorites on The Office probably still can’t pack heat into the Capitol — […]