In this week's episode, I focus on recent headlines about two topics I have discussed in the past: the dangers of synthetic hair and civil rights violations in the workplace.

First, I take a look at a federal bill package brought before the U.S. Congress to protect women from deadly toxins in their beauty products, noting that women of color are more likely to be exposed to harmful chemicals than other women.

I then move on to an Ohio headline about allegations of retaliation, sexual harassment, unfair pay practices, and discrimination at the Ohio Civil Rights Commission — the very organization tasked with investigating allegations of civil rights violations in Ohio.

Today's podcast will feature five new and different human resources legal questions and how I might answer them. If you have a quirky, funny, or otherwise interesting HR/legal question you want to ask, please submit it to christel@christelbesttraining.com.

This is a Re-Air of a Law and Culture Classic!

Today we delve into two cases that involve alleged harassment against employees who didn't "keep quiet" about who they are. They exercised their freedom of expression and it cost them their jobs. In one case, the employee showed tattoos at work and was reprimanded though other similarly situated employees also had tattoos but were not reprimanded. In the second case, the employee shared the results of her genetic background with her colleagues after taking a genetic test. The co-workers responded in shocking and disturbing ways. How many personal truths should we share at work? Do we have an unfettered First Amendment right to bear all of who we are as art on our bodies? What about those ancestry kits? Would you take an ancestry test? If so, would you share the results with your colleagues? Finally, do you have a right to freedom of expression in the workplace?