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Freelance Economy Growing as it Offers Flexibility, Work/Life Balance

The freelance economy is growing rapidly, a trend with significant implications for the workplace. Nearly one in four employees freelance in some capacity, according to the Staples Advantage Workplace Index, a recent study of office workers in the U.S. conducted by the business-to-business division of Staples.

Short Takes: Makeup Time

A few of my employees want to make up some time they missed, but the makeup time would end up being overtime, which I can’t pay. Is there a provision in the law that covers this situation?

IRS Issues New COBRA Guidance for Employers

Update Dec. 16: House Passes COBRA Subsidy Extension and Expansion The IRS has issued guidance on the COBRA premium assistance or subsidy provisions of the economic stimulus bill recently passed in Congress. Under the provisions, eligible employees who were involuntarily terminated from their jobs between September 1, 2008, and December 31, 2009, and their qualified […]

‘No Raise This Year’ (Again): Handling the Compensation Conversation

Yesterday’s Advisor showed how author Jathan Janove’s Star Profiles can help managers avoid “Peter Principle” promotions. But it left unanswered the question of how to handle the top salesperson who didn’t get the promotion to sales manager. And, we’ll find help for tackling the tough “no raise this year” talk. If Mike (less successful as […]

Most CFOs Say Minimum Wage Increases Would Cause Them to Reduce Current Workforce

The latest Duke University/CFO Global Business Outlook survey concerned the minimum wage, with nearly 75% of minimum-wage paying firms in the United States saying they would reduce current or future employment if the minimum wage is raised to $15 per hour. At a $15 minimum wage, 41% would lay off current employees, while 66% would slow future hiring. […]

Exempt Employees: Some Computer Software Professionals And Nurses Now Exempt From Overtime

  Governor Davis has signed a new law (S.B. 88), which is now in effect, exempting from the overtime rules certain nonsalaried computer software workers who are paid at least $41 per hour. The exemption applies to highly skilled employees doing intellectual or creative work of specified types requiring discretion and independent judgment. Also, certified, salaried […]

HOT LIST: Bestselling Business Books on Amazon.com

Amazon.com updates its list of bestselling business books hourly. Here is a snapshot of what books were hot this morning — Monday, July 7. 1. StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths by Tom Rath 2. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… […]

Republican ACA proposal poses challenges for multistate employers

A group of Republican senators has proposed a replacement bill for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that would allow states to choose whether to keep Obamacare’s provisions in place. Because employers’ requirements would depend on where employees work, compliance could be a real challenge for companies with operations in multiple states, according to the Society […]

Hot List: New York Times Bestselling Hardcover Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling hardcover business books as ranked by the New York Times on May 10. 1. The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis. The people who saw the real estate crash coming and made billions from their foresight. 2. 13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and […]

Texas, California Participants Top 401(k) Plan Loan Use

A study by Fidelity Investments of 13 million 401(k) investors across U.S. metropolitan regions pinpointed the cities where plan loans are most heavily used. The analysis found the greatest percentage of participants with outstanding plan loans, at 33 percent, in the McAllen, Texas, area. The second-largest proportions of borrowers were in the Riverside and Bakersfield, […]