Month: January 2007

Voters in Six States Pass Minimum Wage Hikes

Californians, whose minimum wage just climbed to $7.50 an hour, aren’t the only ones seeing a boost in the minimum wage in the new year. During the November 7 elections held across the nation, voters in six states approved measures to raise their minimum wage rates. Ohio and Colorado voters approved increases to $6.85; Arizona […]

Evaluations: How Can We Encourage Honest Performance Appraisals?

I’ve been reading about how important it is from a legal standpoint to give accurate performance appraisals, and when I look over ours, I know we’re not doing that—basically everyone is “good” or “excellent,” even though managers complain about poor workers. I know we’re going to get in trouble if we fire any of these […]

Theft: Can We Deduct the Cost of a Loss from the Whole Team?

We have agreed to operate on a team basis in our organization. We share workload, bonuses, etc. Now we’ve got a problem. We think someone on the team has stolen something from the office, but no one will admit to the theft. May we deduct a certain amount from each employee’s check to cover the […]

Great California Workplaces: Insomniac Games Is a Winner in Motivating Employees; The Game Plan for Success

What makes an organization a terrific place to work? We set on the path to find out with the Employer Resource Institute’s 2006 Great California Workplaces Award contest. As we discovered, keys to a great workplace include unique, innovative, and effective programs that combine to create a relationship of respect and trust between employer and […]