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The following is a list of the bestselling paperback business books as ranked by the New York Times on January 5. 1. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. How and why certain products and ideas become fads. 2. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by […]
Botched terminations can lead to both damage to a company’s reputation and potentially expensive lawsuits. Here’s how to do them right. “You’re fired!” Thanks to Donald Trump’s TV show, The Apprentice, that little phrase has led to quite a bit of entertainment these last few years. But unlike the world of TV, in the real-life […]
A draft of the first major changes in 30 years in affirmative action regulations for federal contractors has been released. The long-awaited revisions would reduce the paperwork contractors must include in their affirmative action plans. But the rules would also require the completion of a time-consuming personnel survey.
Grappling with a chronic shortage of computer programmers and other skilled workers, the high-tech industry successfully lobbied long and hard for an expansion of the H-1B visa program. Employers should face fewer delays in hiring foreign professionals now that Congress has raised the annual limit on H-1B work visas and changed the rules to make […]
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) is back in the news as the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether AT&T violated the Act by paying reduced pension benefits based on uncredited pregnancy leave taken before enactment of the PDA in 1978. That upcoming decision may influence whether companies have to change their policies retroactively to comply with […]
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has released new certification forms for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The new forms carry an expiration date of February 28, 2015, and replace forms that had a December 31, 2011, expiration date. The new forms appear to be identical to the old forms except […]
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is now the highest-funded law enforcement agency in the U.S. government. With the increased funding, the Trump administration has more than doubled the number of ICE officers and agents. As a result, ICE raids and I-9 audits are increasing in frequency. ICE raids and I-9 audits often cause anxiety and […]
Does an employee “assist in the running or servicing of the business” if he designs systems for a client rather than for the business itself? According to a recent ruling from the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the answer is “yes,” thereby helping the employee satisfy one of the key requirements for the administrative […]
The new Minnesota Women’s Economic Security Act (WESA)—an amalgamation of changes designed to “close the gender gap” by breaking down barriers to economic progress for women—has begun to take effect. Governor Mark Dayton signed WESA into law on Mother’s Day earlier this month. Some of the changes were “effective upon enactment,” which means they went […]
As if it weren’t enough of a hassle, FLMA’s just gotten messier. The feds have added “servicemember family” leave—but without the regulations needed to administer it—and “qualifying exigency” leave—not required but “encouraged.” Here’s what you need to know. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), already HR’s least favorite law, has just gotten more so. […]