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Quick Hiring Decisions Can Backfire on Employers

At the risk of falling into a male gender stereotype, we’re not shoppers; we’re buyers. We don’t browse. We know what we want, go directly to it on the store shelves, grab it, and head for the cash register — almost always without trying it on. Most employers feel the same way about hiring. No […]

Handling Work Refusals

McCarthy Tetrault Your employees in Canada have the right to refuse tasks that may endanger them or others. Health and safety laws spell out not only your obligations but also what your employees must do when refusing work, so it’s important for you to understand how to handle such situations. Here are some tips to […]

Questions and Answers on Reform’s Transitional Reinsurance Fee

Employers are understandably nervous about the transitional reinsurance fee, which health insurers and employer health plans must pay from 2014 through 2016. The fee will be collected by HHS, even though the states will tailor their own risk adjustment programs. It must be paid annually. Plans will probably make their first payment for 2014 a […]

Daydreamers, Doodlers are More Productive at Work

Yes, employees may be staring into space or scribbling on their agendas. But are they wasting time or reviving their brains to be more productive? A “daydreamer” study by Travelodge U.K. of 2,000 British workers across industries reports they daydream at least four times during their shifts: before lunch, after lunch, afternoon slump time (3 […]

Reducing Pension Costs in Canada During Hard Times

The recent decline in financial markets has caused Canadian pension plans to become significantly underfunded. For instance, in Québec close to 97 percent of all defined benefit pension plans are currently underfunded. As this continues, many employers may look for ways to reduce pension costs or at least offset increases of those costs. Such losses […]

Tempted to Ask, But Shouldn’t

Yesterday’s Advisor briefed on impermissible preemployment inquiries; today, we present more inquiries that you may not have realized you need to avoid. Persons to Notify in Case of Emergency Questions should not be asked about the names and addresses of a job applicant’s relatives. Such inquiries may lead to information related to an applicant’s marital […]

’Tis the Season … to Do Right by Employees and Customers

Among other things, having a manager who cares about them as people is part of being happy at work. So when I heard about Liberty Bottleworks, I figured it must have a pretty satisfied workforce. Here’s the story, from a recent edition of The Oswald Letter. It seems that over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the […]

Dredging: The Invisible, but Crucial, Task of All Managers

When I was a little boy, I had a book that was filled with pictures of heavy equipment. Like many boys, I was fascinated by the large bulldozers, cranes, and trucks. There was one piece of equipment that intrigued me because I had never seen anything like it. It was a grab dredger.