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Terminations: What Should We Cover When We Conduct a Termination Meeting to Fire a Poor Performer?

One of our employees isn’t working out. His sales have been consistently low, he has trouble meeting deadlines, and he doesn’t interact well with clients. We’ve decided to let him go. What should we cover when we meet with him? Thank you. — Maryanne P., Santa Monica   Mishandling a termination meeting could lead to […]

8 Best Practices for Fending Off EEOC Investigators

EEOC is rattling its unconscious/systemic discrimination saber—and if they target you for an investigation, it’s going to be expensive and annoying, whether you are innocent or guilty. Here are 8 steps you can take to forestall the attack. What are the best practices for keeping the EEOC at bay in a time they’re begun to […]

Employment Law Tip: Protecting Exempt Status: The Seven Deadly Sins

While California law generally requires employers to pay overtime when employees work over eight hours in a day or 40 in a week, certain executive, administrative, and professional employees are exempt from this requirement if they meet three conditions: 1) the employee is paid on a salary basis; 2) the employee earns a certain minimum […]

Health Care: California Health Care Reform Gets a Step Closer

The California Assembly has voted in favor of a landmark health care reform measure—A.B. x1 1, the Health Care Security and Cost Reduction Act—which is backed by Gov. Schwarzenegger. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration. If approved there and signed by the governor, the bill would then go to voters in November […]

Is There ‘Unconscious Discrimination’ at Your Workplace? EEOC Wants to Know

Does your workplace discriminate “unconsciously?” Courts aren’t sure, says Fortune magazine. But the EEOC isn’t waiting to find out. Despite years of the government, courts, and society in general fighting it, patterns of discrimination still exist at many businesses. Workers seem to be held down based on race, gender, or other factors. But while some […]

Laugh Your Way to Wellness, Part 2: What You Can Joke About

Humorist David Granirer says that humor helps us stay well but that several topics are verboten in the workplace. Today we look at topics you can joke about. As noted in yesterday’s Advisor, humor at work can lead to both healthier employees and a healthier bottom line. But there are some forms of humor that […]

Hot List: New York Times Bestselling Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the New York Times on December 17. 1. The World Is Flat, by Thomas L. Friedman. (Picador, $16.) A columnist for the New York Times analyzes 21st-century economics and foreign policy and presents an overview of globalization trends. 2. The Tipping […]

Laugh Your Way to Wellness? Expert Says ‘Yes, You Can’

Wellness is a serious topic, says corporate humorist David Granirer, but a little humor might be just what the doctor ordered. We’ve all been trained that “work isn’t supposed to be fun” and that “no pain, no gain” should be our motto. However, says corporate humorist David Granirer, blogging on about.com, we’re starting to realize […]

Follow Up On The Picket Line

It is not that I don’t support the writers of The Office.  I do.  But I also think their situation is different than most other industries in the private sector.  When I look at the issue of unionization from a more global perspective, I firmly believe that most employees and companies are better off without […]