Tag: business

Enough is Enough: You Can’t Make Progress Without Action

They say to never talk about religion or politics, but I’m going to risk it today. The President gave his State of the Union speech last Tuesday night. I was at a dinner event and missed it. And, I’m sad to say, I really don’t care that I didn’t hear it. You see, I’m incredibly […]

Stay One Step Ahead of the Misclassification Police

What do short stories by O. Henry and independent contractor analysis have in common? You’re left guessing the outcome until the very end, says attorney Deanna Brinkerhoff. The federal Department of Labor (DOL) is cracking down on classification, and that makes now an excellent time to evaluate your organization’s classification decisions.

Compliance with Employee Privacy Laws: How To Create an E-Monitoring Policy

Employers wanting to be in compliance with employee privacy laws should ensure that employees understand that e-monitoring policies affect the employee’s reasonable expectation of privacy. In other words, if employees are told that their electronic communications will be monitored, then they cannot reasonably expect that they will be private. In a CER webinar titled “HR’s […]

Pressure To Resign Following Postpartum Depression? Bad Idea

A spa director sued for pregnancy discrimination after she allegedly was pressured to resign following her leave for postpartum depression. The employer asked the court to compel arbitration in accordance with an arbitration provision in the employment application. Was the arbitration agreement enforceable?

Stapler-Markers And Other Unusual Gift Ideas

Litigation Value: potentially millions when Dunder Mifflin/Saber tries to assert ownership rights over the Stapler-Marker or scented pink paper. In an unusual deviation from its comic roots, last night’s episode of The Office, “Gettysburg,” tackled a difficult societal issue: the isolation and depression resulting from corporate America treating business like war….. Ok, that’s not true […]

Lessons from the Duck Blind

This past weekend, my son and I went duck hunting. Despite growing up in a rural area in the Midwest where hunting was a way of life, I never cared for it when I was young. Among the reasons was that it was brutally cold in Iowa in the winter. But, my 15-year-old son has […]

New Hawaii Law Protects Domestic, Sexual Violence Victims from Discrimination

By David Banks Hawaii’s Act 206, which provides employment protections for victims of domestic and sexual violence, becomes effective January 1, 2012. Hawaii is one of only five states to enact a law protecting victims of domestic and sexual violence. Among other things, the Act: prohibits discrimination on the basis of domestic or sexual violence […]

How to Calculate Hours Worked Under California Employment Regulations

California employment regulations often differ from federal regulations. Calculation of hours worked is no exception. In an ERI webinar titled “Wage & Hour Road Rules for HR: Travel Pay in California Explained,” Ron Garrity outlined the basic rules employers must follow when calculating hours worked and also gave some examples of how this differs in […]

Attitude Is Key to Business Growth

Last week I was part of a CEO panel asked to discuss how to achieve double-digit revenue growth. Now, isn’t that the $1 million question! My co-panelists were highly respected executives, each with 20-plus years of experience in our industry — publishing. Yet, when we started discussing the session among ourselves, I was surprised by […]