The Excuse Factory

How Employment Laws Are Paralyzing the American Workplace

Walter Olson (View Bio)
Hardcover: The Free Press, 1997.

"To read Walter Olson's wittily scathing account of modern employment law is to wander through a grotesque workplace wonderland" — American Bar Association Journal

"Riveting.... The author has shown what is wrong — and why — with the American workplace.... His book, written in the best traditions of reformist polemic, is studded with one bewildering real-life case after another." — The Times (London)

"Olson shows how the U.S. has created a nightmare of contradictory regulations that would humble Kafka. And he does it with the drama of a detective novel." — Fortune

"Lively, well-documented, thorough and entertaining." — The Weekly Standard

"Excellent.... A devastating criticism of our employment laws, based on thorough research and cogent argument." — National Review

"Engaging, witty and provocative ...a comprehensive examination of the unintended consequences of our ever-expanding network of well-intentioned employment laws." — The American Lawyer

"Engaging — and slashing.... The burden on the economy from litigation and defensive measures by employers may not be precisely quantifiable, but it is certainly enormous." — The Wall Street Journal

"Brings historical perspective, insightful analysis and common sense to a subject mostly lacking all three. This highly readable account deserves a wide audience ...captures the ALICE IN WONDERLAND quality of the new employment law." — Baltimore Sun

"An important book.... Olson is an excellent writer and wades through the morass of employment law in a sure and graceful manner.... While even the casual reader will find Olson's book entertaining and lively, if you run a business, work as a human resources officer or supervise other workers, this is a book you need to read." — Detroit News