Author: Chris Ceplenski

Survey Asks Whether College Effectively Prepares Students for the Working World

Twenty-two percent of adult workers in a recent survey said that a college education does not effectively prepare students for employment in the workforce. Meanwhile, nearly the same percentage—25 percent—reported that college does effectively prepare students for the working world. Only 10 percent said college prepares students very effectively. The April 2013 survey of more […]

Employers Must Answer Questions About Revenue Sharing in Their 401(k)s

By Mary Jo Larson    Nearly every 401(k) plan offers its participants some investment options that include revenue-sharing fee payments. For many years, employers were not even aware that their participants’ investments were generating these payments. Today, in the wake of new U.S. Department of Labor disclosure and reporting rules and well-publicized cases attacking employers for […]

How Can You Grow the Next Generation of Employees?

Internship programs give employers opportunities to educate up-and-coming top performers and gain first-hand knowledge of how a particular individual would perform in his or her organization. Growing interest Competition for internship programs can be stiff, with interested college students far outnumbering available internships at some companies. For example, Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., (www.cir2.com) received résumés […]

Outsourcing: The Good, the Bad, the Far-Flung

Most managers won’t be able to get to the infamous 4-hour workweek, but most of them are looking to free up time, says consultant Amy Letke. And one potentially effective way to do that is to outsource some nonessential HR functions. What Is Outsourcing? Outsourcing is the contracting of an internal business process to a […]

Hiring Goals for Individuals Disabilities—New Affirmative Action Requirement

The changes are to the regulations implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits employment discrimination against individuals with disabilities. BLR Senior Legal Editor and affirmative action expert Susan Schoenfeld explains how the new regulations will impact government contractors. Effective Date in March 2014 According to the OFCCP, the new rules will […]

DOMA is unconstitutional, but many questions left unanswered

Over the summer, the Supreme Court decided in the landmark case of United States vs. Windsor that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional, which now paves the way for same-sex couples to potentially enjoy many federal benefits that they weren't entitled to before. Let's take a closer look at DOMA, what the ruling did, and what questions remain.

New Business Bumper Sticker: I ♥ My Millennials

We’ve written a lot in past Advisors about Millennials and their supposed challenging generational characteristics. However, I have to say I love my Millennial colleagues; they’re hardworking, earnest, productive, dependable, capable, and cooperative. The Enthusiastic Employee Debunks Generational Characteristics   And that’s not just my opinion. In their recently published second edition of The Enthusiastic […]

Post Furlough Tips for Employers: Be Prepared for FLSA Enforcement to Resume

The federal government resumed operations this week. As the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division gets up and running, operations to enforce the Fair Labor Standards Act are likely to resume quickly. Smart employers should brush up on DOL enforcement basics so they’re prepared. DOL is authorized by the FLSA to investigate and […]

Comprehensive Training Builds a Business

The Seymour, Connecticut-based company has four dealer networks that provide services in waterproofing, crawl space repair, foundation structural repair, and basement finishing. “It’s a dealer network, not a franchise. We actually operate on a handshake,” says Larry Janesky, president of Basement Systems (www.basementsystems.com). The company makes money when dealers sell Basement Systems products, so “we’re […]