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Does a Formal or Informal Outfit Boost Office Productivity?

It used to be that a 9–5 job meant snappy Charles Tyrwhitt suits and briefcases all through the office. But these days, many companies are happy to let their employees dress how they like (so long as it doesn’t affect their work!). Does dressing comfortably increase or decrease productivity though?

3 Things that Say, ‘Please Sue Me’

Still have exit interviews, probationary periods, and sick leave? asks popular speaker Hunter “Please Sue Me” Lott. If you have those, get rid of them, he says. The exit interview was invented by HR, Lott says, and it suggests that our philosophy is, “Let’s spend our time with the crummy employees.” Stop that, says Lott. […]

What Exactly Are ‘Super Commuters’ and Do They Get Any Tax Breaks?

Employers and “super commuters” — employees who live outside of the boundaries of the metropolitan area where they work — may wonder whether there are any tax breaks for someone who practically breaks their neck to get to their employer’s place of business. A recent study by the Rudin Center for Transportation at New York University […]

The 9 Most Common Form I-9 Mistakes

In yesterday’s Advisor, Attorney Roger Tsai briefed readers on dealing with Form I-9 challenges. Today, we present Tsai’s nine most common mistakes on I-9 forms, plus an introduction to the all-things-HR-in-one-place website, HR.BLR.com®. Tsai, who is Of Counsel at Holland & Hart LLP in the Salt Lake City office, delivered his practical tips at BLR’s […]

Self Interest or Team Effort?

I was in a meeting yesterday and our discussion centered around how we could really engage certain people within an organization. We weren’t long into the discussion when someone said, “I always think that people are motivated by self-interest.” My first thought was that his comment was a bit cynical. But as I thought about […]

micro credentials

Pros and Cons of Micro-Credentials

Traditionally, the education-to-labor-force pipeline has followed a fairly consistent, one-directional path: Children and young adults work through K–12 education, and then some pursue undergraduate, vocational, professional, and/or graduate-level degrees before entering the workforce.

Mandatory Furloughs—Attractive, But Legally Tricky

In these tough economic times, mandatory furloughs may be an attractive alternative for many employers. However, while furloughs don’t create many of the risks of termination, there are legal pitfalls to avoid. Law firm Littler Mendelson P.C.’s blog Insight offers advice for employers contemplating furloughs. Littler attorneys Alison S. Hightower, Eric C. Bellafronto, Barry Y. […]

Pay Budget Survey Indicates Modest Rises for 2012 and 2013

Among employers awarding merit increases in 2012, the most commonly cited increases ranged from 2.5% to 3.0%. This corresponds closely with SHRM’s recently announced figure of 2.8%. Last year’s survey indicated an average “planned” merit increase for 2012 of 2.1%. Actual merit increases for 2012, however, were higher than anticipated for the first time in […]

Tesla

Customer Service Lessons Learned from Tesla

A challenge many companies face is providing a top-notch customer experience. The reason—particularly for business-to-consumer (B2C) companies with high volumes of customers—is that so many of their customer touch points come in the form of entry-level, low-paid staff, often with high turnover. Teaching these employees the basics, let alone the intricacies, of customer relationship management […]

Competing Compensation Goals? Matrix Them

Yesterday, consultant David Cichelli talked about hurdles, modifiers, and multipliers for sales compensation. Today, his take on using matrices, plus an introduction to a new compensation webinar you won’t want to miss.