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HOT LIST: BusinessWeek’s Bestseller List

BusinessWeek ranks business books that are the most recent bestsellers and provides a short summary. 1. StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths by Tom Rath. Are you unsure where your true talents lie? Do you feel that you are both a person who gets […]

Stop-loss Insurers Maneuvered out of Navigator Role in Final Reform Rules

Stop-loss insurers for self-funded health plans are among the entities excluded from assisting consumers and small businesses in researching health insurance exchange options under health care reform. Those insurers, as well as individuals and other entities with too close a financial relationship to such insurers, cannot be “Navigators,” according to final rules issued July 17 from the […]

Ask the Trainer: Storytelling During Training

A:  Stories help learners remember key points from training sessions, reinforce the content, and help new trainers feel more poised and comfortable, says Mark Satterfield, founder and CEO of Gentle Rain Marketing, LLC (www.GentleRainMarketing.com), and author of Unique Sales Stories: How to Persuade Others Through the Power of Stories. “People remember stories,” he says. “People are […]

Maine’s minimum wage law change going into effect January 1

by Matthew Jacobson Changes to the Maine minimum wage law taking effect January 1 mean that the minimum wage for tipped workers will continue to be $5 an hour instead of rising $1 an hour like the minimum wage for workers who don’t receive tips. Maine voters approved Question 4 on the 2016 ballot. The […]

Mandatory Federal Labor Law Poster Change for GINA

On October 23, 2009, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a new Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law poster, which includes information on the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). The poster was updated to include information about GINA, specifically that employers are prohibited from discriminating against applicants and employees on the basis of […]

Stereotypes Are Alive and Well

We are beyond the day when an employer could evaluate employees by assuming or insisting that they matched the stereotypes associated with their group. — U.S. Supreme Court Price Waterhouse Facts Brenna Lewis started working for Heartland Inns, a small hotel chain, in July 2005. She mainly worked as a night-shift auditor, and in the […]

Healthcare workers’ longer hours don’t necessarily increase health, safety risks

by Rosalind H. Cooper Most employers know that there are restrictions under employment standards legislation regarding maximum hours of work for their employees. In certain circumstances, it is possible to exceed these daily or weekly maximums. However, care must be exercised when doing so in order to avoid a breach of the employer’s duties under […]

Ask the Expert: Is it better to keep personnel files in a central location or on-site locally?

October 4, 2010 This is really a matter of company policy. Many companies maintain an official personnel file with copies of resumes, applications, offer letters, performance appraisals, training records, salary increases, etc. In addition, the official file should contain any contract or written agreement between the employee and the employer (such as a noncompete agreement), […]

Tame Turnover with Low-Cost Work/Life Balance Programs

In yesterday’s Advisor, we offered tips for reducing turnover and increasing productivity. Today, the rest of the story, plus good news about job descriptions. [Go here for steps 1 to 5] Step 6: Communicate with your employees Communication is critical for reducing turnover. Remember that communication needs to go both ways. You need to share […]