Sightings from the Blogosphere

• Pages: 18-19
• Date: 01 January 2025
• Published date: 01 January 2025
• Subject Matter: Derecho Público y Administrativo

New Networking

The pandemic shifted the legal networking

landscape by accelerating changes like virtual

meetings, remote work, and technological ad-

vances. The transformation presents challenges

for attorneys, but Zen and the Art of Legal

Networking’s Lindsay Griths oers adaptive

networking strategies to f‌it the current envi-

ronment: (1) Have a written plan with a clear,

measurable goal, and review it regularly to

keep yourself on track. (2) Understand your

audience, including knowing their preferred

platforms, whether in online or print publi-

cations. (3) Craft your elevator speech so it

addresses the value you bring to your audience. Rather than

saying “I practice corporate law,” for example, provide more detail

about what you actually do and personalize it toward your audience.

(4) Realize that networking happens everywhere, not just at formal events. Even chatting

with fellow parents at your kids’ sporting events presents an informal networking oppor-

tunity. (5) Harness the power of social media and build your reputation by engaging in

online discussions, participating in groups, and creating valuable content in support of

your networking goals. And (6) Keep learning. Stay up to date on the latest trends and

developments to better provide value to your connections. By being consistent in your

approach to learning and networking, you can maintain and grow relationships over the

long term.

When to Visit Sick Employees

at Home (Hint: Never)

Have you ever had the urge to inves-

tigate whether your “sick” employees

are actually sic k? Jon Hyman of Ohio

Employer Law Blog rep orts on a man-

aging director and human resources

director at one of Tesla’s overse as

gigafactories targeting 30 employ-

ees on sick leave for ho me visits. The

employees responded by slamming

doors and thre atening to call police.

According to Hyman , visiting a sick

employee the employer suspects of

faking illnes s is a risky idea for several

reasons: (1) Em ployees have a right to

privacy in their own h omes, and unan-

nounced visit s may violate that right;

(2) Employees taking p rotected leave

© Getty Image s

under the FML A or ADA may f‌ile an

interference o r retaliation claim; (3)

Visiting selec t groups of employees

with a specif‌ic illn ess, disability, or

background could lead to discrimina-

tion claims; (4) Home visits m ay erode

workplace mora le, culture, and em-

ployee trust, dam aging the relation-

ship and increa sing turnover; and (5)

Employers may misjudge the employ-

ee’s condition based on appearance

or energy level, l eading to incorrect

assumptions ab out their health. To

avoid these scenari os, Hyman sug-

gests adopting less intrusive methods

to manage absen teeis m, such as re-

quiring medical certif‌ications or using

independent third-party providers to

verify si ck leave.

WINTER 202 5 • VOL. 50 NO. 2

18 | ABA LITIGATION SECTIO N

POSTED& NOTED

SIGHTINGS FROM TH E BLOGOSPHERE

Published in Litigation News Volu me 50, Number 2, Wint er 2025. © 2025 by t he American Bar A ssociation. Re produced with per mission. All righ ts reserved. Th is information or an y portion there of may not be copied or

disseminated in an y form or by any means or s tored in an electro nic database or re trieval system wi thout the express w ritten consen t of the American B ar Associatio n.