Here are 5 things you should know.
1. In the United States it is illegal for private-sector employers to discourage or punish you for discussing your wages with coworkers.
Pursuant to 29 U.S.C. §§ 151-169 it is illegal for your employer to:
- Discourage discussion between employees about their wages by saying things like “here’s your raise, don’t talk about it to anyone”
- Threaten to write an employee up for discussing their wages with coworkers
- Fire, demote, transfer you, cut your hours or otherwise change your shift, or take any adverse action against you in any way because of discussions with coworkers about wages and benefits or approaching your superiors about discussions regarding wages with your coworkers
Violations of this law, known as the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, can be reported to the National Labor Relations Board by going to their website www.nlrb.gov or calling 1-844-762-NLRB (6572).
If your employer allows non-work-related discussions while on the clock, they must allow protected concerted activity as well.
Here’s a more specific listing of what types of employers are subject to the Act.
2. Autism can manifest in many different ways and isn’t always obvious.
An experience shared: “There are a lot of stereotypes surrounding autism and autistic people, many of which are exaggerated and negative, and trying to understand that autism comes in different forms is an important step to removing the unnecessary stigmas surrounding the condition.
Every autistic person is different. Yes, some traits may overlap, but the behaviors and triggers can vary greatly. There’s a reason why it’s the autism spectrum.
If you meet an autistic person, you have met that one autistic person. You have not met every autistic person. When interacting with someone who’s autistic, you shouldn’t make assumptions and should be as accommodating as possible (sometimes it simply isn’t doable depending on the situation, however).
If you’re dealing with an autistic person, please be patient. I know that sounds like that one meme, but I promise it’s true. We just don’t know what we’re doing, and sometimes if someone actually explains it to us, it helps. If you’re not sure what to do to accommodate us, it might be worth asking. I know some autistic people cannot explain their issues, but if you think the person in question can, please do.
Generally, just being kind is a huge thing. Even things as simple as believing the person actually is autistic despite not fitting any Hollywood stereotypes help a lot.
Also, if someone does not seem autistic on the surface, that’s probably because they’re masking it due to being made fun of for certain social behaviors. They may not come across as autistic right away, but chances are, it still impacts their day-to-day life. And, with some behaviors, they only manifest in certain conditions or only if we’re tired/stressed and whatever else.
Based on personal experience with myself and interacting with other autistic people, I’m aware that some of us seem hard to talk to. But, again, being patient is key. And sometimes you just have to get us talking about the right things. If you set me off on something that interests me, I won’t shut up about it for a while! Otherwise, I’m less likely to engage. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I don’t really have anything to add to the conversation.
Lastly, there seems to be little to no portrayal of autistic women in media, but trust me — they exist. They just A) don’t get diagnosed as often as men (maybe because of the stereotypes) and B) are probably better at masking it.”
3. DMAChoice.org is a tool you can use to opt-out of direct mail (junk mail) in the US.
In the US, an estimated 64.1 billion pieces of junk mail are sent each year. It’s all very wasteful. If you like getting marketing mail, great, but if you don’t please opt-out.
4. Deactivate your authenticators when getting a new phone number.
If someone gets your old phone number, they will have access to your 2FA and thus the accounts they are affiliated with. For example, if this is your Microsoft account, they would have access to your files in OneDrive, etc.
5. All iPhones have IMEI numbers in both their settings and printed on the sim card tray. You can run this number through a plethora of websites to see if the phones are locked, blacklisted, has Find my iPhone on, or is iCloud locked.
If you ever buy a used iPhone anywhere, there’s an extremely high chance it’s either stolen, someone’s old phone they don’t remember the info for, or not paid off. If you ask for the IMEI, you can make sure everything’s good and working on the phone. If the seller says they can’t access the setting, tell them it’s on the sim tray. If they don’t send that either, it’s likely a scam.
