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The Wage-Hour Risks of an Electronic Leash

  Many of our employees carry company-issued cell phones, PDAs, and laptop computers. And, unfortunately, some of our managers have made full use of this technology by calling and e-mailing their subordinates at all hours of the day and even on weekends. I’ve become concerned that we could have a wage and hour problem on […]

Labor secretary nominee Acosta advances to full Senate

President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of labor has been approved by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Alexander Acosta now advances to the full Senate for a final confirmation vote. Acosta, a former National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member, generally has been praised by the employer community. He has a deep […]

Hot List: BusinessWeek’s Best Seller List

BusinessWeek magazine ranks the 10 best selling hardcover and paperback business books for September 2009 and gives a short summary. 1. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. As you’d expect with Gladwell, there are lots of surprises in his explanation of why some people succeed fantastically. Pluck and smarts get less play here […]

Does your Workplace have Pockets of Excellence?

No organization is perfect, but there are most likely “pockets of excellence” at your company. These are the employees or departments that stand out among the rest. How can you foster these pockets of excellence and help them spread throughout the business?

‘HR Cred’–How to Build It and How to Lose It

Credibility–it’s hard to establish and it’s easy to lose. Yet, it’s critical for HR success. Today, one expert’s take on how to lose it. The respected HR Competency Study, conducted by the University of Michigan Business School and its partners, has identified six core competency domains for HR managers:At the basic “relationships” level:          Credible Activist […]

Encouraging New Managers to Express Emotions

The descriptor “emotional” often has a negative connotation, especially in the workplace. It can conjure up images of someone who lacks control, loses his or her temper, and lacks sound judgment. But Kristi Hedges, in an article for Harvard Business Review, notes that this association—and the corresponding reluctance to show emotion in the workplace—can actually […]

Never Say Never, and Never Say This

Yesterday’s Advisor featured the first six of author Darlene Price’s 10 phrases that kill your pitch; today, killer phrases 7 through 10, plus an introduction to the all-HR-in-one-place website, HR.BLR.com. [Go here for killer phrases 1 to 6.] 7. AVOID: “…don’t you think?”  or, “…isn’t it?” or “…OK?”  To convey a confident commanding presence, eliminate […]

Hot List: Bestselling “Women and Business” 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, February 1, in the “Women and Business” section of the “Business and Investing” category. 1. Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a […]