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 of any of the Scranton branch employees, this new increase could take a serious toll on the profitability of Dwight’s beet farm operations. If his cousin Mose hears about the increase, Dwight is going to have to find a way to come up with the money to pay Mose’s higher wage — that’s assuming, of course, that Dwight pays Mose at all.

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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 — thank goodness.

But with this change in policy, many of our clients have asked if we are going to start seeing employees trying to carry more than the normal baggage to work. Of course we will. The media have covered it but good, and employees (especially the ones with time on their hands) are looking to establish boundaries. (Why does it sound like I’m talking about raising my kids?)

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Litigation Value: $2,000 for intentional infliction of emotional distress (caused by seeing Al Roker dance a jig before the commercial break)

Watching the cast of The Office take on a group of American Gladiators in Celebrity Family Feud was just too great an opportunity for me to pass up last night. I was happy to see our friends from Scranton win it all, especially since it involved seeing Phyllis challenge The Wolf to an arm wrestle. Unfortunately it was broken up before a winner was determined, which is too bad because I think it could have gone either way.

I noticed a whole lot of muscle flexing and other intimidating behaviors going on during last night’s show, especially from the Gladiator side. As I watched Titan jiggle his quads, I was reminded of the proverbial schoolyard bully, scaring kids into handing over their lunch money. Thankfully those days are over for most working adults. But while you
might think that it is not a problem, workplace bullying is a real phenomenon, and it can create some problems for your company.

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Though no repeat on NBC tonight, I have very good news to report! The cast of The Office will appear on a celebrity version of the Family Feud on NBC, Tuesday night at 8 p.m Eastern / 7 p.m. Central. Undoubtedly, with that cast (and others on that night – namely American Gladiators), there will be much to report. Stay tuned and check in on Wednesday morning for a run down and some HR advice!

Have a great holiday weekend!