The Art of Brevity
Today we hear from BLR® CEO Dan Oswald regarding the effectiveness of brevity. With his message, consider this: Would your training have more of an impact if it was shorter and sweeter?
Author: Guest Columnist
Westeros might have benefited from recent trends in paid family leave
Game of Thrones, one of my favorite shows, most recently returned for its sixth season. Don’t worry, no spoilers here if you haven’t seen the first couple of episodes of this season. However, if you haven’t noticed, one of the recurring themes for characters in Game of Thrones appears to be daddy issues. In fact, […]
As new overtime rule nears, questions surface about salary threshold
by Tammy Binford As time winds down for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to release its final rule changing who is eligible to collect overtime pay, reports are surfacing that the salary threshold may be somewhat lower than the figure originally proposed but still considerably higher than the level in the current rule. The […]
Rolling the dice: the day I started BLR
From Dan: 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 Robert L. Brady, who founded Business and Legal Resources (BLR) in […]
New Mexico workers’ comp law addresses workers under the influence
by Barbara J. Koenig Foster, Rieder & Jackson, P.C. A new law in New Mexico is designed to clear up confusion on how workers’ compensation benefits can be lowered when a worker is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The law will go into effect on May 18. The new law was enacted because […]
More human rights ‘frustrations’
by David G. Wong Traditionally, when an employee’s absenteeism was excessive and there was no reasonable prospect of returning to work in the foreseeable future—as long as there was no contractual term providing otherwise—a Canadian employer could discharge the employee for non-culpable absenteeism or treat the employment contract as having been frustrated. This would bring […]
Employers can find ways to turn negative feedback to positive outcomes
Most employers consider feedback from employees necessary, but those employers might wonder if that feedback has to feel so much like a necessary evil. When the feedback employees have to offer is negative, it can be tough for employers to stomach. But more and more employers are realizing that even when it’s negative, feedback can […]
What do you do now? The boss is the problem!
by Jo Ellen Whitney Being a business owner, supervisor, or boss doesn’t make you immune to bad behavior. Business owners, CEOs, and upper-level managers have been known to be bullies, behave badly, harass employees, and have affairs. There are certainly plenty of recent examples in the media. You can rarely open a popular magazine without […]
You’re doing it wrong—the proper way to approach creative thinking
by Dan Oswald Fifty years ago, NASA asked Dr. George Land to develop a creativity assessment aimed at helping the space agency identify and hire the most creative engineers and scientists. The test proved successful for NASA, and in 1968, Land decided to use his assessment to test the creativity of 1,600 4- and 5-year-olds […]
Sleep much? Board finds that dozing off on the job is not willful misconduct
by Avneet Jaswal Can an employer terminate an employee for sleeping on the job on multiple occasions? The Ontario Labour Relations Board concluded that such behavior may give rise to just cause for dismissal. Can sleeping on the job amount to “willful misconduct” eliminating the employer’s obligation to pay statutory notice and severance amounts? Well, […]