As part of our never-ending quest to keep you up-to-date on all aspects of employment law (even the dumb ones), our official Dumb Law Tour of the U.S. recently brought us to the great state of Texas. We gave you the following dumb laws and offered a prize to the first person to spot the bogus one:

1. Employees may not emit obnoxious odors in an elevator.
2. Hotels, conference centers, stores, banks, railroad depots and saloons are required to provide spittoons for employees and customers “of a kind and number to efficiently contain expectorations.”
3. Employees may not toss confetti, rubber balls, feather dusters, whips or explosives of any kind in the workplace.
4. Employees are prohibited from eating a co-worker’s garbage without permission.
5. At company-sanctioned social gatherings, employees may not take more than three sips of beer while standing.
6. It is illegal to drive company vehicles without windshield wipers (note:  a windshield is not required, just wipers).
7. Employees are forbidden from milking someone else’s cow in the workplace.
8. It is illegal to mention the name of the state directly to the north, which “shall heretofore be referred to as the ‘smaller, vastly inferior state shaped like some kind of cooking utensil.’”
9. Employees may not tuck their pants into one boot unless they own ten or more cattle.
10. Company horses may not be ridden at night without taillights.
11. Employees may not drive a company vehicle while within an arm’s length of alcohol (even if the alcohol is inside another person’s body).
12. An employee may become legally married by introducing a person as his or her spouse three or more times at a company gathering.
13. Employees may not sell their own skin to a co-worker.
14. Criminals are required to give victims at least 24 hours’ notice explaining the nature of the crime they plan to commit

CONGRATS TO ERIN, the first person to correctly identify #8 as the bogus law. To reward her obvious legal acumen, we’ll send her a certificate good for any of the fine merchants at giftcertificates.com.

Thanks to all who participated and special thanks to the most excellent legal research sites dumblaws.com, crazylaws.com and idiotlaws.com. If you have any dumb laws that you would like to bring to the world’s attention, please send me an e-mail at blawg@na.manpower.com.  

Official Disclaimer: Please note that the laws listed here are purely for entertainment purposes and that we make no representations or warranties concerning the validity or applicability of any particular law.

As part of our never-ending quest to keep you up-to-date on all aspects of employment law (even the dumb ones), our official Dumb Law Tour of the U.S. now brings us to the great state of Texas.

To make sure you’re paying attention, one of the laws described below is completely made up. The first person to leave a comment below correctly identifying the fake law wins a valuable prize.

In Texas:

• employees may not emit obnoxious odors in an elevator
• hotels, conference centers, stores, banks, railroad depots and saloons are required to provide spittoons for employees and customers “of a kind and number to efficiently contain expectorations”
• employees may not toss confetti, rubber balls, feather dusters, whips or explosives of any kind in the workplace
• employees are prohibited from eating a co-worker’s garbage without permission
• at company-sanctioned social gatherings, employees may not take more than three sips of beer while standing
• it is illegal to drive company vehicles without windshield wipers (note:  a windshield is not required, just wipers)
• employees are forbidden from milking someone else’s cow in the workplace
• it is illegal to mention the name of the state directly to the north, which “shall heretofore be referred to as the ‘smaller, vastly inferior state shaped like some kind of cooking utensil’”
• employees may not tuck their pants into one boot unless they own ten or more cattle
• company horses may not be ridden at night without taillights
• employees may not drive a company vehicle while within an arm’s length of alcohol (even if the alcohol is inside another person’s body)
• an employee may become legally married by introducing a person as his or her spouse three or more times at a company gathering
• employees may not sell their own skin to a co-worker
• criminals are required to give victims at least 24 hours’ notice explaining the nature of the crime they plan to commit

You have been warned.

If you have any dumb laws that you would like to bring to the world’s attention, please send me an e-mail at blawg@na.manpower.com. (Special thanks to the most excellent legal research sites dumblaws.com, crazylaws.com and idiotlaws.com.) 

Please note that the laws listed here are purely for entertainment purposes and that we make no representations or warranties concerning the validity or applicability of any particular law.

Congrats to ASHLEY MARTIN, the winner of our “Spot the Fake Dumb Law” Contest!

Ashley correctly identified the bogus Tennessee employment law: All employees are required to stop working at 3:00 p.m., face Dollywood and sing the song “Nine to Five” at the top of their lungs.

Believe it or not, all the rest are very real. Click here to see the full list.

For her efforts, Ashley has earned a gift certificate to any of the fine establishments on giftcertificates.com. As always, thanks to all who participated!

As part of our never-ending quest to keep you up-to-date on all aspects of employment law (even the dumb ones), our official Dumb Law Tour of the U.S. now brings us to the great state of Tennessee.

To make sure you’re paying attention, one of the laws described below is completely made up. The first person to post a comment or send an e-mail to blawg@manpower.com correctly identifying the fake law will win a valuable prize.

In Tennessee:

• A female employee may not operate a company vehicle unless a male employee runs in front of it waving a red flag to warn approaching motorists and pedestrians.
• Neither cheetahs nor skunks may not be brought into the workplace
• An employee is officially “sober” unless he or she “cannot hold onto the ground.”
• Employees may neither share pie from the company cafeteria with other employees nor transport ice cream cones in their pockets.
• Businesses are required to have a hitching post in front of each building.
• Employees are forbidden from shooting any game other than whales from a moving vehicle.
• It is illegal for female employees to call male employees and ask them for a date.
• Tavern employees may not make “loud, unusual noises” in the workplace.
• All employees are required to stop working at 3:00 p.m., face Dollywood and sing the song “Nine to Five” at the top of their lungs.
• Employees are prohibited from “driving while asleep.”

Please govern yourselves accordingly.

If you have any dumb laws that you would like to bring to the world’s attention, please send us an e-mail at blawg@manpower.com. 

Special thanks to the most excellent legal research sites dumblaws.com, crazylaws.com and idiotlaws.com. Please note that the laws listed here are purely for entertainment purposes and that we make no representations or warranties concerning the validity or applicability of any particular law.

As part of our never-ending quest to keep you up-to-date on all aspects of employment law (even the dumb ones), our official Dumb Law Tour of the U.S. now brings us to my home state of Wisconsin.

To make sure you’re paying attention, one of the laws described below is completely made up.  The first person to send an e-mail to blawg@manpower.com correctly identifying the fake law wins a valuable prize.

In Wisconsin:

• it is unlawful to “worry a squirrel”
• employees deemed “offensive-looking” may not appear in public during daylight hours
• an unclothed mannequin may not be placed in any store window unless it is wearing a cheesehead
• it is unlawful to start a riot with a laser pointer
• companies may not sell sparklers in the Milwaukee area but may sell disassembled machine guns
• employees who drive after 3:00 a.m. are required to send a rocket signal into the air each mile
• female employees in St. Croix, Wisconsin are prohibited from wearing red in the workplace
• apple pie may not be sold unless accompanied by a side order of cheese
• employees may not make limburger cheese unless they have a master cheese license
• it is illegal to wake a sleeping firefighter
• employees may not play flutes and/or drums in order to attract attention
• whenever two trains meet at intersection, neither shall proceed until the other does

Please govern yourselves accordingly.

If you have any dumb laws that you would like to bring to the world’s attention, please send us an e-mail at blawg@manpower.com. 

Special thanks to the most excellent legal research sites dumblaws.com, crazylaws.com and idiotlaws.com.  Please note that the laws listed here are purely for entertainment purposes and that we make no representations or warranties concerning the validity or applicability of any particular law.

As part of our never-ending quest to keep you up-to-date on all aspects of employment law (even the dumb ones), our official Dumb Law Tour of the U.S. now brings us to the great state of Illinois, where:

• it is illegal to change clothes in a company vehicle unless the vehicle is on fire
• monsters are forbidden from any workplace within Urbana city limits
• “unsightly” or “disgusting” employees may not appear in public
• employees are prohibited from giving whiskey or lighted cigars to dogs, cats or any other domesticated animals in the workplace
• spitting on a co-worker and/or in his or her food is forbidden
• employees who eavesdrop on their own conversations may be convicted of a felony
• employees may not beat on rats discovered in the workplace with baseball bats
• it is unlawful to speak English in the workplace; employees must speak “American”
• employees are forbidden from drinking beer out of buckets during lunch breaks
• waiters and waitresses are prohibited from serving food in a restaurant that is currently on fire
• mispronouncing the name of the town “Joliet” may result in a $500 fine (helpful hint:  it’s pronounced “Joe-lee-ette”)
• employees may be arrested for vagrancy if they aren’t carrying at least $1

You have been warned.

If you have any dumb laws that you would like to bring to the world’s attention, please send us an e-mail at blawg@manpower.com.  (Special thanks to the most excellent legal research sites dumblaws.com, crazylaws.com and idiotlaws.com.)

Our dumb law tour of the U.S. brings us to the great state of California, where:

• employees are not allowed to detonate nuclear devices within city limits
• car wash employees may not utilize used underwear to wipe off vehicles
• employees officially classified as “ugly” may not walk on city streets
• “butterfly molestation” in the workplace may result in a $500 fine
• employees are forbidden from piling horse manure more than six feet high
• a boss and his or her secretary may not be alone in a room
• employees may not wear cowboy boots to work unless they own a minimum of two cows
• spitting is unlawful unless it is more than feet away from other employees (exception:  company softball games, where spitting anywhere, including on other employees, is perfectly lawful)
• company-owned vehicles without a driver may not exceed 60 miles per hour
• snails, sloths and elephants may not be brought into the workplace
• employees may not publicly transport their lunches between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and/or walk camels between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m.
• employees may not lick toads, drink cement, spill salt, put dogs on elevators or herd more than 2,000 sheep through Hollywood

You have been warned.

(Thanks to the most excellent legal research sites dumblaws.com, crazylaws.com and idiotlaws.com.)

Our dumb law tour of the U.S. brings us to Alabama, where:

• it is unlawful to stab or otherwise maim yourself to gain sympathy from your boss and/or to avoid work
• boogers may not be flicked into the wind
• male employees may not “howl” at female employees, spit in front of them nor attempt to seduce them ”by means of temptation, deception, arts, flattery or a promise of marriage”
• bear wrestling in the workplace is strictly forbidden
• employees may not show up for work in a “substantially nude state”

You have been warned.

(Thanks to the most excellent legal research sites dumb.com, dumblaws.com and crazylaws.com.)