President Obama has insisted that schools close if there is any sign of swine flu in students. He also says parents can’t just take their out-of-school kids to a day care center. That could make matters worse. Ideally, parents should keep their children at home.

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A good boss is a mentor, a coach, sharing philosophies that can be guiding principles for one’s entire career. Consider the philosophies of David Brent (Ricky Gervais) in the British version of The Office.

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We’re all familiar with the principal protected classes under federal employment law: race, color, sex or gender, pregnancy, national origin, religion, age and disability. Some state statutes and municipal ordinances add others: sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, family status, creed, and ancestry, just to name a few.

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In today’s Los Angeles Times, there’s an informative and practical article about what’s going on with the current swine flu problem. Though not a workplace article, it’ll give you helpful information on trying to deal with this problem in the workplace.

Last week, George Bernard Shaw provided us a quote on the government. This week, we turn to Will Rogers, one of our best humorists and political philosophers. The government gave him plenty to write and talk about:

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Even if you’re not one to panic easily, it’s a bit difficult not to have some concern about the outbreak of swine flu. It’s not yet an epidemic, not a pandemic — but troublesome. If you have close contact with fellow employees, there’s no reason to panic. Just be alert.

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I’ve poked fun at Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner for his failure to properly pay his income taxes for five years before being nominated to be Treasury Secretary. I’ve even expressed amazement that we actually have someone like this heading Treasury, which is, after all, in charge of making sure Americans properly pay their income taxes.

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Eclecticity provides a timely, thought-provoking cartoon for us today. What a difference one word can make!

M. Lee Smith Publishers offers each year the the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium (click here), one of the premier national conferences for human resources professionals and in-house counsel. This year marks the 14th AEIS, and I again have the pleasure of serving as the event’s moderator.

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Wall Street was late telling us that we had entered a recession, but it’s ahead of the curve in announcing that it’s over. If you haven’t heard about this breathtaking turnaround, read the latest from the New York Times.

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I will occasionally be asked whether an employer should allow supervisors and managers to keep so-called “desk files” on employees in addition to the regular personnel files kept by human resources. First, I’m hesitant to discourage supervisors and managers from keeping good records on employee performance or conduct. Second, I don’t think you can prevent this from happening.

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David Kellermann, the acting chief financial officer of Freddie Mac, one of the organizations at the center of the home mortgage disaster, hanged himself in the basement of his house in an affluent Virginia suburb. (Click here and here.) He had worked 16 years for Freddie in the financial area but had been the acting CFO only since last September when Freddie was on the verge of imploding and the former CFO resigned, together with other officers. The deceased was 41 years old.

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A regular reader of this blog (and sometimes commenter) suggested this song by the Pet Shop Boys, and it’s perfect for our time. In my opinion, the lyrics are both cynical and powerful: “I’ve got the brains, you’ve got the looks, let’s make lots of money. You’ve got the brawn, I’ve got the brains, let’s make lots of money.” A little resume fraud is thrown in, together with unrealistic opportunities and unrealized goals.

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The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has released its “Employer Best Practices for Workers with Caregiving Responsibilities.” Check out Jon Hyman for a post on this development. It would be a good idea to pay close attention to what the EEOC has to say on this subject. From a litigation standpoint, it’s not a particularly good time to be any kind of employer these days, what with all the layoffs and such. If a jury thinks an employer is discriminating against an employee who puts family ahead of work, it could end up being a really bad day in court. (See also Delaware Employment Law Blog and Dan Schwartz.)

I’ve done a post about lessons we might learn about discipline from the CIA. Now, Delaware Employment Law Blog contributes it own interesting disciplinary idea.