You're going to hear a lot about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act this week. It's the second anniversary of the landmark legislation's passage, for starters, but it also happened to land on the granite steps of the Supreme Court the very same week.
Of course, the media's all abuzz about it, present company included. Besides, it provides a nice distraction from the endless GOP primary battle and how much do we really want to keep reading about rising gas prices?
So I thought I'd regale you with something a little more off the beaten path. Let's call it the good, bad and just plain weird.
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Let's start with the good: A couple of weeks back, we reported a growing trend among employers asking prospective employees for their Facebook passwords – as if snooping around their social media minutiae somehow became part of the interviewing process. The backlash was swift and severe, with even Facebook reminding users that sharing their passwords actually violated the site's terms of service and politicians calling for Congressional action into the practice. It's good news that this hiring trend's been brought to a screeching halt.
So it's kind of ironic that the bad news we reported last week involved the absurd blind spot most employers unwittingly walk around with: Fellowes' Workplace Data Security Report revealed more than 80 percent of employees can access paper documents with sensitive workplace info. Maybe employers should take care of their own online business before concerning themselves with the online social habits of prospective workers. Or maybe they just figure turnabout is fair play.
And, finally, my favorite story of the week also happens to be the weirdest. In fact, it almost reads like the beginning of a bad Southerner joke – "So there's this city worker in Texas…."
But seriously, the city manager of a Fort Worth, Texas, suburb laid himself off last week, insisting he wasn't needed and that budget cuts forced his hand. Rather than lay off either (or both) of his two assistants, he showed himself the door, citing his higher salary. Talk about your refreshing bout of government honesty.
It almost restores your faith in those on the public payroll.
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