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Hot List: New York Times Bestselling Paperback Business Books

The following is a list of the bestselling paperback business books as ranked by the New York Times on April 27. 1. Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan by Suze Orman. Managing your money in hard times. 2. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. How and why certain […]

Take as Much Vacation, Sick Leave, and Family Time as You Want!

Will it soon be a “best practice” to let employees choose how much vacation, personal leave, and sick leave to take? If it is, there’s a place where you’ll find out about it. In our last issue, we talked about Best Buy’s ROWE (Results Only Work Environment) program, which allows employees to decide where and […]

Recruiting talent or trouble? What recruiters need to know

Finding just the right person for a job is the constant challenge for recruiters. Even when they have the benefit of up-to-date training, high-tech tools, and good common sense, they often face an uphill struggle. They’re either inundated with applications—many from unqualified candidates—or they’re left with such a small number of suitable applications that they […]

HRAs With Individual Policies Will Violate Reform Ban on Limits, HHS States

Health reimbursement arrangements that are not integrated with group health coverage will violate health reform’s prohibition on annual benefit limits, the federal government recently clarified. HRAs that are integrated with individual policies will be seen as “nonintegrated,” thereby violating the ban on annual limits, the agencies implementing health reform stated. And if employees don’t sign […]

Preventing Violence In The Workplace: Employee Punched By Co-Worker Wins $2.5 Million Verdict; Take Action Now

If two employees get into a scuffle at work and one is hurt, you might assume that the injured employee’s only recourse against you is to file a workers’ compensation claim. But a San Diego jury’s staggering verdict demonstrates that if you don’t respond appropriately to an altercation, you could find yourself on the losing […]

Employee Retention & Engagement

The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) recently issued a decision that reads like a “what not to do” in response to employee complaints. When one employee complained to her manager about sexual harassment and assault by a coworker, the company looked into the matter but failed to protect her. In fact, the […]

Will the Brinker Meal and Rest Breaks Decision Stand?

Most California employers know by now that a California appeals court recently issued an important decision in Brinker Restaurant Corp. v. Superior Court, interpreting the state’s meal and rest period requirements and giving employers and employees welcome flexibility in scheduling breaks. (See our complete coverage here.)

Hot List: BusinessWeek’s Bestselling Business Books

BusinessWeek magazine ranks the 15 best selling hardcover and paperback business books in January 2009 and gives a short summary. 1. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. As you’d expect with Gladwell, there are lots of surprises in his explanation of why some people succeed fantastically. Pluck and smarts get less play here […]

It’s Not About You

Fifteen years ago, country singer Toby Keith had a number one hit with his song “I Wanna Talk About Me.” The chorus of the song goes like this: