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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: employee

employee stories: 19 news summaries

Swine Flu Highlights Debate Over Paid Sick Leave

Half of US doesn't get sick pay; businesses defend policy

Sep 28, 09 12:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - The second coming of swine flu has reignited the debate over paid sick leave. “You have all of our top officials saying, ‘Do the responsible thing. If you're sick, stay home,’” an advocate tells CNNMoney. “And at the same time, we have a country where... More »

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Congress • legislation • small business • employee • medical leave • swine flu • H1N1 virus • sick leave • paid leave • sick day

Swearing at Your Boss Can't Get You Fired in Spain 

Judge says 'son of a bitch' insult no big deal

Sep 16, 09 10:39 AM CDT
(AP) - A Barcelona court says calling your boss a "son of a bitch" is not grounds for dismissal, insisting the slight is common in arguments in Spain and not that big a deal. The plaintiff in the case was fired in January 2008 for hurling that insult at his boss... More »

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Spain • labor rights • employee • fired

(Newser) - Having workers in their golden years is key to the Golden Arches' success, according to a British study. Researchers found that customer satisfaction levels were 20% higher in outlets where people over 60 were employed. The boost comes from the older workers' better people skills, strong work ethic, and influence... More »

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elderly • McDonald's • age • fast food industry • customer service • employee

(Newser) - An escaped gorilla injured a South Carolina zoo employee before voluntarily returning to his enclosure after 5 minutes on the loose, the State reports. Riverbanks Zoo in COlumbia was on lockdown for about 45 minutes after Mike escaped, with visitors escorted into buildings or outside the park. The zoo did... More »

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South Carolina • zoo • injury • gorilla • animal attack • employee • Riverbanks Zoo • Columbia, SC

Firms Feed
Workers to
Boost Morale

It's not a raise, but perk goes long way in tough times, managers say

Jun 11, 09 1:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - The way to employee satisfaction is apparently through their stomachs. Businesses slicing jobs and benefits in tough times are finding that free food is a cheap way to boost worker morale, the Boston Globe reports. The majority of financial officers recently surveyed—68%—is taking steps to boost employee spirits.... More »

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food • layoffs • recession • office • employee • morale

(Newser) - The United Nations is being hammered by a string of sexual harassment cases filed by employees, reports the Wall Street Journal. The development is particularly painful for an organization that is supposed to uphold human rights around the world. Victims complain about an old-boys' network of adjudication that allows colleagues... More »

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United Nations • sexual harassment • workers • workers' rights • employee

(Newser) - Seeking to stem the flow of cigarettes over the border and bolster the local tobacco industry, a Chinese county has ordered local officials to puff only local cigarettes, the Times of London reports. In March, Gongan county mandated that civil servants on its payroll smoke 230,000 packs of... More »

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China • smoking • cigarettes • tobacco • civil service • Hunan • employee • Gongan

 'Sick' Worker Fired 
 for Facebooking 

Worker claims company spied on her

Apr 25, 09 1:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - Hint to employees: If you say you're sick, don’t use Facebook. A Swiss woman was fired for doing just that, the BBC reports. She claimed her migraine prevented her from working on her computer and asked to lie in a darkened room—where she accessed Facebook through her iPhone.... More »

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social networking • Facebook • Switzerland • firing • employee

 Surfing on Company Time 
 Boosts Productivity 

May we suggest Newser.com?

Apr 2, 09 12:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - If your boss catches you reading this article, don’t sweat it. A little recreational internet use on the job makes for more productive employees, according to a new Australian study. The study surveyed 300 people, 70% of whom engaged in a little WILB—“workplace Internet leisure browsing.”... More »

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Internet • Facebook • employer • employers • productivity • employee • employees • workplace

 Brit Slams 
 Behavior 
 of Arrested 
 Roadies 

Two contractors allegedly assaulted officers

Mar 27, 09 7:14 AM CDT
(Newser) - Britney Spears distanced herself from two employees arrested in Pittsburgh yesterday for aggravated assault, E! reports. “Neither of the men involved are employees of the tour or Ms Spears,” read a statement posted on her blog—the men worked for a contracted company. “Britney Spears…does not... More »

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Britney Spears • police • celebrity • arrest • assault • concert tour • employee • Howard Stern Grid

Long Work Hours Weaken Mental Skills

Putting in 55 or more hours per week hurts memory, reasoning

Feb 25, 09 4:38 PM CST
(Newser) - Working long hours may weaken mental skills, the BBC reports. Researchers administered a series of reasoning and memory tests to 2,214 British civil servants and found that those working more than 55 hours a week did significantly worse than those who worked around 40. The effect was cumulative, meaning... More »

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dementia • depression • work • mental health • stress • employment • cognitive science • employee

Worker Told Bosses: We Need to Clean This Place

'I did see roaches and rodents,' employee says

Feb 6, 09 12:32 PM CST
(Newser) - At least one employee alerted management to the sanitation problems at a Georgia peanut plant linked to the deadly salmonella outbreak, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. “I used to tell them all of the time, ‘We need to shut down and really clean this place,’” said Anne... More »

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food safety • salmonella • inspection • quality control • employee • peanut butter • Peanut Corporation of America

 Wall Street Bonuses Fall 44% 

State may lose $1B in tax revenue

Jan 28, 09 4:58 PM CST
(Newser) - Wall Street firms still dished out end-of-year bonuses in 2008, but they were a lot smaller. Cash bonuses fell 44% from the year prior, from a total of $33 billion to $18 billion, Reuters reports. That drop may take $1 billion in tax revenue from New York state, which is... More »

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Wall Street • New York City • unemployment • bonuses • budget deficit • tax revenue • employee • financial crisis • state budgets

(Newser) - Wal-Mart will pay up to $640 million to settle 63 state and federal class-action lawsuits that alleged it forced employees to work off the clock and skip breaks, the New York Times reports. The lawsuits involve hundreds of thousands of former and current hourly wage workers. The settlement—it will... More »

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wages • Wal-Mart • labor rights • employee

Out of Work on Wall St.? Call This Number

But feisty employment lawyer tells clients not
to sue these days

Nov 1, 08 3:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Tens of thousands of Wall Street workers are jobless these days, which means good business for Jeffrey Liddle. The New York employment lawyer, known for winning millions in damages for out-of-work bankers and brokers, has seen an influx of clients lately. But now he's telling clients not to sue ex-bosses:... More »

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Wall Street • lawsuit • lawyer • employee

Tough Times Turn
Mean Bosses Even Meaner

Workers fear losing jobs, take abuse

Aug 9, 08 9:47 AM CDT
(Newser) - If your boss was a jerk before the economy went south, chances are things have gotten worse. “Employers are definitely getting meaner,” the editor of one career blog tells MSNBC. Knowing that employees may be fearful about leaving in an uncertain job market, the worst managers are pressuring... More »

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MSNBC • US economy • job market • productivity • employee • boss

Doctors Fume Over Website Selling Fake
Sick Notes

Australian physicians want it shut down

Jul 31, 08 5:14 PM CDT
(Newser) - In an Internet version of a classic schoolboy trick, a website is peddling fake doctors' notes to Australians looking to get some paid time off, reports news.com.au. The $40 certificates have infuriated the medical community, which wants the police to step in. Two backpackers reportedly set up the... More »

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medicine • fraud • Australia • illness • doctor • Britain • employee

Big Brother Boss Turns
Eye on Home Workers

Employers take screenshots and photos

Jul 31, 08 11:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - Think working out of a home office means wearing your jammies and watching YouTube? Not unless you want the boss to see what you watch in your Mickey Mouse PJs. As telecommuting rises, employers are tracking their workers by taking screen snapshots, recording keystrokes, and even taking pictures of workers... More »

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business • worker efficiency • employers • employee • telecommuting

 Angry Worker Blasts 
 Yahoo in Email  

Missive blames office politics, lousy execs for sinking company

Jun 27, 08 8:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - A sarcastic Yahoo employee slammed the company in an email sent to Fortune today, taking aim at futile executives and lousy decision-making. In the wake of Yahoo's latest shakeup, "things could not be better," the email says: True, past "reorgs" were sparked by pointless executive shifts, but... More »

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Yahoo • Google • Microsoft • mergers and acquisitions • Fortune • employee • disgruntled

19 Stories


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