Weekly Must Reads: Are Your Employees Filthy Pirates?

The top stories HR pros need to know this week.

A slovenly office is a workplace "don't." But, as Wired Editor in Chief Scott Dadich learned this week, over-the-top all-staff memos addressing the problem can be equally problematic. Dadich sent an emphatic missive to staff outlining strict rules to keep the magazine's new San Francisco offices spic and span, the memo got leaked and Internet hilarity ensued.

Read the full memo by way of The AWL.

This week, Facebook unveiled its latest effort to dominate our attention with Facebook at Work, a new portal that lets you connect with colleagues. The "big" news: The color scheme is white so employers can easily tell whether workers are using a personal or work account.

Check it out at Entrepreneur.

The Affordable Care Act incentivizes workplace wellness programs, offering rewards (i.e., cash payments) and doling out penalties (i.e., higher insurance premiums) for employee participation in the programs. But a new study finds that of the nearly 600 employers adopting these incentives, a quarter of them actually penalize workers who opt out of wellness programs.

Read more at Reuters.

With all the technology that surrounds us at work, you would think that our most important digital tool would be a revolutionary productivity app. But think again: According to a recent study from the Pew Research Internet Project, notoriously inefficient email is still what makes office workers tick.

Steve Boese laments on his HR Technology Blog.

A new study from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health proves something we've all known for a while: Longer working hours are directly connected to unhealthy levels of drinking. Specifically, people who work 49-54 hours a week are 13 percent likelier to drink at risky levels (14 drinks a week for women and 21 for men.) Talking point for your next work happy hour, perhaps?

Read more at Mic.

Photo: Flickr/Joriel "Joz" Jimenez