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Hot List: Wall Street Journal’s Bestselling Hardcover Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the Wall Street Journal with data from Nielsen BookScan. 1. Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success by Kerry Patterson. Shows how individuals can come to understand these powerful and influential forces, and how to put these forces to work […]

DOMA Invalidation Complicates Surviving-spouse Beneficiary Matters

Now that the federal Defense of Marriage Act has been invalidated, some same-gender surviving spouses are asking retirement plan sponsors to take a second look at their previously denied eligibility for a death benefit. A favorable court ruling in a newly filed case could further complicate beneficiary matters for plan sponsors. The case was recently […]

Creating a Winning Atmosphere

I just spent a week in Cooperstown, NY, the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. No, I did not achieve my childhood dream of being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame — I was there to watch my 12 year old play baseball at the Cooperstown Dreams Park. Cooperstown Dreams Park provides […]

A New Genre of Discrimination? Smokers Need Not Apply

By Susan Hartmus Hiser Q: Our company is considering implementing a policy that would make individuals who smoke ineligible for employment. In doing so, we would save a substantial amount of money on our insurance premiums. Can we do this? If so, how do we monitor employees who claim they have quit smoking? A: Many […]

Which Records Can You Withhold From Employees?

Yesterday, we took a look at some of the common questions relating to employee requests for records. Today, a few more — plus an introduction to our brand-new Complete Guide to HR Recordkeeping in California. Q. Can I hold back any records from employees? A. Yes. You aren’t required to disclose the following: records relating […]

Arguments in Favor of Hierarchical Pay Raises

In a previous post, we discussed the precarious situations many employers find themselves in when it comes to employee pay increases. We currently find ourselves in a tight labor market with relatively low unemployment, and employees consistently list financial compensation as one of the primary factors in accepting and staying at a job.

Hot List: Amazon Editors’ Picks for Best Business & Investing Books of 2009

Here are the Amazon’s “Editors’ Picks” of the best business and investing books of 2009. 1. The Myth of the Rational Market: A History of Risk, Reward, and Delusion on Wall Street by Justin Fox. Time magazine’s editor-at-large leads readers on a chronological journey of modern economic theory, featuring the cast of scholars who constructed […]

You’re No Pelé; Get Back to Work!

When will people learn that fake worker’s compensation claims will ultimately lead to lawsuits? Hopefully never, because then we won’t have HRSBT! This recent case is no different, but it’s still entertaining!

Beauty and the Best

By Mark I. Schickman We have eliminated many forms of workplace discrimination and made great strides toward erasing others. Nonetheless, one form of discrimination ― “Beauty Bias,” as coined by Stanford Law Professor Deborah Rhode ― remains alive, well, and possibly inherent in the human condition. When babies are shown pictures of adults, they usually […]