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Don’t Hesitate to Tell Your Coworkers How Much They Mean to You

Last Sunday was Valentine’s Day. Here’s hoping you got to spend it with loved ones. My wife and I traveled to visit our daughter at college and got to spend the day with her. It was a good day and everything I could ask for to celebrate my February holiday. I remember as a kid […]

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GM Signals New Employment Objectives Amid Layoffs

General Motors (GM)—America’s largest automobile manufacturer—recently announced it would be offering buyouts to roughly 18,000 salaried workers. Unfortunately for the automotive giant, only about 2,250 employees went for that offer.

Managing Employees Abroad

by Brian Smeenk Does your company send employees into other countries? Do you employ foreign nationals in international aassignments? These situations have their own, unique complexities and legal issues. To be successful in managing its employees abroad, employers need to have an employment relationship that protects both its company and its employees. Let’s look at […]

New HIPAA Rules Proposed for Disclosure Accounting

A dreaded accounting-of-disclosure rule for electronic protected health information (ePHI) will require action by many employers, in their roles of health plan sponsors. (Employers are not technically “covered entities” under HIPAA privacy but, in effect, must comply if they’re involved in plan administration.) The rule came out in proposed form on May 31. It would […]

Managing New Technology: Employer Hit With $30 Million Lawsuit After Worker Using Cell Phone While Driving Kills Pedestrian; Tips For Avoiding Accidents—And Liability

The debate has heated up over the safety of using cell phones while driving. Some argue that the risk of accidents while on the phone is on a par with routine distractions such as adjusting the radio or climate controls in the vehicle. Others contend that the danger greatly escalates when a driver is talking […]

New year brings new minimum wage, posting requirements in Portland

by Peter Lowe A new year means different things for different people, but for Portland employers, the first of the year means a new hike in the minimum wage along with related posting requirements. The new minimum wage, set at $10.10 per hour for all employees, comes as the result of a municipal ordinance passed […]

Executive Pay Plan Design Considerations

Designing an executive pay plan requires a lot of facets to be considered, not the least of which is: how high should executive pay be? But the exact amount is far from the only consideration. How should an organization decide to pay executives? Is there a formula to use? Unfortunately, it’s seldom that simple, and […]

Take a Load Off!

Begin by training workers to recognize the hazards, including: Slipping on wet or oily surfaces Tripping on broken floor surfaces Falling off dock edges Injuries from falls or unsecured dock plates Injuries caused by motion if someone forgets to chock trailer wheels Carbon monoxide exposure Back injuries from heavy lifting Injuries from run-ins with forklifts […]