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An Executive’s Thoughts on Executive Pay

Imagine for a moment that you own a company. Unfortunately, your company, like many companies recently, has experienced some problems that have put its mere survival in question. You’ve taken action, removed the employees who were responsible for creating most of the problems, and even brought in a new senior executive — a seasoned industry […]

Solicitation Defamation

Litigation Value: $75,000 No new episode this week (darned ER series finale), but that doesn’t mean there isn’t activity in Scranton. Shortly after Michael’s departure from Dunder Mifflin last week, Michael sent out an email to job seekers about the Michael Scott Paper Company. It read: Dear whom it may concern, Bored? Poor? Lonely? Not […]

IRS Issues New COBRA Guidance for Employers

Update Dec. 16: House Passes COBRA Subsidy Extension and Expansion The IRS has issued guidance on the COBRA premium assistance or subsidy provisions of the economic stimulus bill recently passed in Congress. Under the provisions, eligible employees who were involuntarily terminated from their jobs between September 1, 2008, and December 31, 2009, and their qualified […]

Our Telecommuters Are at Work—Or Are They?

Telecommuting allows employees to work part or all of their standard workweek from a remote location, “seamlessly commuting” by e-mail, cell phones, and virtual private networks. (Editor’s note: It’s not always “seamless.”) Telecommuting has evolved from being a convenience to a business strategy to a business necessity. With the high cost of commuting for employees, […]

WAHOO Wins Kudos for HR Department

WAHOO—Work At Home Office Opportunity—is just one example of employee-centered thinking that has helped Mitchell International achieve success. Today’s Advisor looks at how they do it. With an HR mission statement that says, “…we exist to support the organization in achieving its strategic objectives and to ensure that we continue to attract, motivate, and retain […]

EEOC Violated the FLSA? Oops

An arbitrator has ruled that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) practice of giving comp time to employees who worked extra hours didn’t meet the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The ruling stems from a 2006 grievance protesting the EEOC’s reclassification of certain investigators and mediators as exempt from overtime under […]

Alcohol Addiction Is Not a Blanket Defense for Theft

By Dominique Launay There can be little doubt that dealing with employees suffering from the disease of addiction “whether to drugs, alcohol, or even gambling” is a challenge for employers. That challenge becomes greater when the employee raises the addiction as an excuse for engaging in misconduct. In a recent case, the question arose whether […]

Metrics ‘Gotchas’—Blindsided in the C-Suite

Even with the best of metrics, you’re not home free, says Attorney James P. Greene. Once top management starts in on your stats, you won’t likely escape unscathed. Be prepared to be hit with these common “gotchas.” Greene, a member of the Ann Arbor, Michigan, office of the law firm Dykema Gossett, and director of […]

Hot List: Bestselling “Management and Leadership” 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, March 30, in the “Management and Leadership” section of the “Business and Investing” category. 1. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell. Blink is about the first two seconds […]