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The Number One Lesson in Business

Recently, I spoke to a group of Vanderbilt University students. The university has a class for aspiring entrepreneurs that regularly brings in business owners to share their professional experiences. When I inquired what it was they would like me to speak about, my instructions were to “just tell your story and share the lessons you’ve […]

HR Departments in Flux—What Are Best Practice Companies Doing?

HR is changing and HR departments have to keep pace—HR’s taking on a greater role in strategy, HR’s outsourcing, HR’s on the move. What’s happening to HR departments out there in the real world? Let’s ferret out best practices. For years, BLR® has surveyed HR and compensation/benefits professionals to find trends in policy and practice. […]

Employment Law Tip: Are You Ready for the Big One?

Just two weeks ago, a temblor measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale rattled San Jose and was felt throughout the reaches of the Bay Area. Fortunately, it didn’t cause any major damage. But the quake was another wake-up call for California residents and businesses about the possibility of a much bigger, destructive quake occurring in […]

Measuring Employee Engagement

Companies often struggle with how to measure employee engagement. Employee surveys and online reviews are frequently recommended.

Paying for Health Costs: Basics of the Reimbursement Alphabet Soup

As healthcare costs continue to rise, financial pressure does, too. Your employees are feeling it, especially if you’ve had to shift an increasing share of healthcare costs to them. Higher copays and coinsurance may help control premiums, but they do nothing to rein in employee out-of-pocket costs. To the contrary, in fact.

Harassment: Court Says Employer Doesn’t Take Fall When Client Harasses Worker, But Caution Still Required

Suppose a nightclub waitress complains to her employer that male customers often grope her. Her employer ignores her reports, turning a blind eye to the customers’ actions. Can the waitress sue the employer for workplace harassment? A California Court of Appeal recently faced this issue and—in a controversial opinion that may not hold up—has decided […]

Wells Fargo Finds More Older Workers Took 401(k) Plan Loans in 4Q

Although many 401(k) plans offer participants loans, a statistic that plan sponsors don’t want to see is the number and size of those loans increasing. But some of them are seeing just that, according to Wells Fargo. A recent study by the banking company of fourth-quarter 2012 activity at the defined contribution plans it administers […]

Delay on immigration reform sparks questions, complaints

by Tammy Binford President Barack Obama’s announcement that he will delay taking executive action on immigration reform means employers won’t get quick answers on when or if changes to the country’s immigration system will come. On June 30, Obama promised he would use his executive power to make changes since Congress wasn’t making progress on […]