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Hot List: Bestselling “Business Life” Books on Amazon.com

Amazon.com updates its list of the bestselling books every hour. Here is a snapshot of what is hot right now, this Monday morning, July 25, in the “Business Life” section of the “Business and Investing” category. 1. Five Minutes on Mondays: Finding Unexpected Purpose, Peace, and Fulfillment at Work (See all Business & Investing Books) […]

Text Messages: The New Employment Files?

In the age of iPhones, BlackBerries, and similar devices, text messaging is becoming as ubiquitous in the workplace as it is everywhere else. But as an employer, are you at risk of dropping the ball on essential recordkeeping because vital communications are transmitted on phones — often personal phones that don’t belong to the company?

‘Fire the Slugs’—That’s Good Turnover

“Fire the slugs,” says management expert Jeff Cortes. That’s good turnover and also it’s good for retention—all of your other employees have been wondering when you would act. “There’s good and bad turnover,” says Cortes, author of the book, No Nonsense Retention, which he characterizes as a collection of no-nonsense ways to retain your best […]

Tip Seven: Set a Schedule

–Insist that the employee work with you in setting up a schedule that includes as many treatments as possible in off-work hours. Go to Tip Eight

Declaration to ‘Make Employee Whole’ Very Costly for Employers

By Karen Sargeant You give your employee almost 32 weeks’ pay after terminating his employment without cause. He gets another job two weeks later. You’re off the hook, right? Maybe not. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Brito v. Canac Kitchens, a Division of Kohler Canada Co. has recently said no. Instead, you may […]

Tip Six: Follow the Certificate

–Hold the employee precisely to the certified time off. For example, if the certificate says ‘three one-day absences a month, don’t let the employee take 1 three-day absence. If required time off changes significantly, require a new certification. Go to Tip Seven

IRS Doesn’t Want to Play High-low Anymore

The IRS announced July 19 that it intends to eliminate a set of alternative per diem rates called the “high-low” rates, which the federal government — and at their discretion, private employers — use to reimburse employees for meals and incidental expenses they incur while on business travel. In Announcement 2011-42, the IRS said it had […]

Shhh — It’s a Secret

It’s official. James Spader’s uber-intense character, Robert California, is going to be the new big boss on The Office. My colleague, Kristin Gray, excitedly revealed this news in her post two weeks ago. Kristin, its seems, was a fan of Spader’s character on Boston Legal, which I applaud her for admitting on the Internet. For […]