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by Brian P. Smeenk Canada is a diverse country. Its ten provinces and three territories are endowed with varying natural resources and have developed their own industrial infrastructures and labour markets. Nevertheless, education is always a major factor in the ability to find a job. So commences a very interesting, recently published study by Statistics […]
by Brian P. Smeenk Wal-Mart, which has until now apparently been union-free, has had a union contract imposed on it in Quebec. The contract covers an auto center, Tire & Lube Express, which is part of a store in Gatineau, near the Ontario border. The small group of about eight employees apparently received union certification […]
In yesterday’s issue, we talked about “passive” candidates—the supposedly great candidates that aren’t actively seeking a job change. Today, suggestions for approaching them and a tool to help with compensation when you hire them. Heather Hamilton, a staffing manager and Microsoft Employee Evangelist, shares her tips for attracting “passive” candidates on her One Louder blog: […]
A proposed measure that would amend the Colorado Constitution to bar employers from firing or suspending employees without just cause was certified for the November 2008 ballot by the Colorado secretary of state on August 22. The “Just Cause Initiative,” which will appear on the November ballot as Amendment 55, gathered more than 130,000 signatures […]
The following is a list of the bestselling paperback business books as ranked by the New York Times on August 25. 1. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. How and why certain products and ideas become fads. 2. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen […]
When HR managers at the recent SHRM conference in Chicago were asked what their most challenging problem is, virtually all responded, “Finding and keeping good people.” How can you locate and hold on to top performers in a tricky economy with a diminishing number of qualified candidates? Many experts suggest that so-called “passive” candidates are […]
by David Micah Kaufman “Oh my!” my lunch colleague exclaimed after glancing at her Blackberry (R) during a break in the conversation. “I am being invited to Candidate X’s fundraiser by my boss. Why does she think I support him/her?” ‘Tis the season — election season — when perfectly normal people who usually would never […]
A bunch of our most senior workers are preparing to retire in the next few years, and I’m frankly worried about what’s going to happen to our company when they’re gone. They possess years of experience and know-how that we have no idea how we’re going to replace, and new hires are harder and harder […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady BLR CEO Bob Brady’s “Commitment” column generated some surprisingly strong backlash. Here’s his response. In last week’s column I wrote about “commitment” in the workplace and tried to make a joking comparison about male-female relationships. My offhand attempt at humor backfired and provoked a mini-controversy. In the column, […]
We’re in the middle of election season and the race for the White House. When you’re deciding between McCain and Obama, perhaps it would help if you treated the election like what it really is: a job interview. Sometimes the questions the candidates are asked are ridiculous (boxers or briefs), and sometimes the answers the […]