Home › Meetings & Events › 2021 › Can I Bring my Pet Monkey to Work?: Managing Employee Expression with Chuck Passaglia
Can I Bring my Pet Monkey to Work?: Managing Employee Expression with Chuck Passaglia
Summary: Every HR professional with a few benefit plan years under their belt has been asked some pretty crazy questions by employees. Chuck Passaglia recently wrote a book filled with them called Can I Bring my Pet Monkey to Work? Answers to 45 of the Wildest Workplace Law Questions. In fact, Chuck believes it is high praise for – and reinforces the importance of - HR if an employee feels comfortable bringing the most-difficult
questions to HR.
After all, we live in a world in which anyone can – and frequently wants to- be heard. Sadly, for many of us, it’s usually at work. This is particularly true in politically-divisive times and with a wide array of electronic communication tools. Moreover, the freedoms of speech and association guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution restrict a government’s ability to curtail an employee’s speech and association when acting as a private citizen. Therefore, many employees who work for federal, state or local governments have additional protections regarding their expression and behavior.
This program addresses an employer’s ability to address on and off-duty conduct and behaviors that impact work. A wide range of employee “expressions” are discussed including physical appearance and hygiene, the law regarding swearing in and outside of work, romantic pursuits, religious expression, political activities, the right to associate with “bad boys,” speaking out on matters of employees’ concern, the use of social media and other technology, and engaging in harmful off-duty conduct such as drug and alcohol misuse or abuse.
Please be prepared to bring and share some of the wildest questions you’ve ever received and potentially win a free copy of "Can I Bring my Pet Monkey to Work?".
Chuck Passaglia's Bio:
Chuck Passaglia is an employment lawyer in Denver, Colorado. He also founded and manages Employment Law Solutions, Inc., which specializes in providing advice and counsel in employment matters, conducting impartial and thorough workplace investigations, and training the entire workforce in critical employment law compliance topics, including the laws of the workplace, ethics, managing employees’ absences, compensation and benefits, and protections under federal and state anti-discrimination laws.
His book, Can I Bring my Pet Monkey to Work? Answers to 45 of the Wildest Workplace Law Questions was published in November 2020.
Previously, he was a lawyer in the United States Navy and veteran of deployments to the Middle East and East Africa; a litigation attorney with Moye Giles (now Moye White) in Denver and in-house employment law counsel for the Employers Council, Inc.
Chuck received a degree in Philosophy from St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri and his law degree from the University of Denver. At the University of Denver, he served on the Board of Editors of the Denver University Law Review.
