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Sign of the times: Jill Abramson, the New York Times, and pay equity

by Mark I. Schickman The New York Times is the second largest newspaper in America, with about two million papers sold each day. It’s also the liberal beacon of American journalism, with solid-gold progressive credentials. Still, it took the paper 160 years to hire Jill Abramson as its first female executive editor in 2011.  In […]

Leadership practices that work regardless of company size

From Dan Oswald: As a way to honor the individuals who have taught me critical life lessons about people and business, I’ve invited several to write guest columns to run in this space over the next few weeks. Today’s voice of experience is provided by a mentor whose business acumen and people skills have guided […]

Wage Theft Prevention Act Increases Duties, Stiffens Penalties for New York Employers

by Traycee Ellen Klein and Erin Carney D’Angelo On Monday, December 13, New York Governor David Patterson signed the Wage Theft Prevention Act (WTPA). According to the governor’s press release, the new law: enacts more stringent and transparent record-keeping and employee notification requirements; increases the amount of wages that can be recovered as damages in […]

Company Officials Do Not Have COBRA Liability as ‘Employers,’ Court Rules

By Gwen Cofield Employers and plan administrators should ensure that adequate procedures are in place so that Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) election notices are sent on a timely basis to qualified beneficiaries. If a third-party administrator (TPA) is used to provide COBRA coverage, an employer’s or plan administrator’s responsibility does not end after […]

13 Inexpensive–but Effective–Employee Motivators

Retention and productivity are always challenges, especially with budgets shaved to the bone. So here are 13 tips on beating the budget crunch from BLR’s 99 Ways to Keep Employees Happy, Satisfied, Motivated and Productive, by noted HR author Peter R. Garber. 1. Have a Family Day at Work An employee’s family provides critically important […]

Despite Election, Global Financial Crisis, Everything Stable for Employers in Canada

by Brian Smeenk Employers with operations in Canada may well ask: “What’s going on up there? What will Canada’s federal election mean for business? How is the world financial crisis playing out there?” It would appear that the most accurate answer to these questions, at this time at least, would be a typically understated Canadian […]

New Illinois law bans noncompetition agreements for low-wage workers

by Steven L. Brenneman The Illinois Freedom to Work Act, which will ban noncompetition agreements for low-wage private-sector employees, goes into effect on January 1. The law defines a “low-wage employee” as an employee who earns the greater of the applicable federal, state, or local minimum wage or $13 per hour. Therefore, the law initially […]

Why eLearning Is Great for New Hire Onboarding

Back in the “old days,” (before advancements in technology) new employee onboarding used to be a one-size-fits-all affair. Over the past few years, organizations have begun to realize the importance of a holistic approach wielding cutting-edge, technology-based eLearning materials to ease the orientation process and set up new team members for later success.

Employees ‘Gruve’ on NEAT ‘Exercise’

Yesterday’s Advisor introduced the Mall of America’s wellness program. Today we’ll look beyond their Fruity Friday program at some more physically involved programs, and take a look at a unique wellness program guide. The Mall of America, located in Bloomington, Minnesota and one of the largest shopping malls in the country, prides itself as being […]