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Kansas: No Democrats in Sight

by Carolyn Matthews, Foulston Siefkin LLP How many Democrats does it take to screw in a lightbulb in Kansas? That’s a trick question — there aren’t any Democrats in Kansas. Republican Sam Brownback was elected governor. Republicans also took the secretary of state, attorney general, and state treasurer positions from the Democratic incumbents. Republican Jerry […]

Terminations: What Should We Cover When We Conduct a Termination Meeting to Fire a Poor Performer?

One of our employees isn’t working out. His sales have been consistently low, he has trouble meeting deadlines, and he doesn’t interact well with clients. We’ve decided to let him go. What should we cover when we meet with him? Thank you. — Maryanne P., Santa Monica   Mishandling a termination meeting could lead to […]

Hot List: Bestselling Business Books on Amazon.com

Amazon.com updates its list of the bestselling business books every hour. Here is a snapshot of what is hot right now, this Monday morning, October 27, in the “Business and Investing” category. 1. The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder. The legendary Omaha investor has never written a memoir, but […]

Louisiana’s scaled-down pay law goes into effect August 1

by David Theard Louisiana’s Equal Pay for Women Act (EPWA), which applies only to public-sector employers, goes into effect August 1. The new law affirms that paying unequal wages to public employees on the basis of sex is discriminatory and violates public policy. The original bill would have covered both public- and private-sector employees, but […]

Obama Extends Benefits to Same-Sex Partners of Federal Employees

President Barack Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum on Federal Benefits and Non-Discrimination June 17 at an Oval Office event. The memorandum addresses the benefits to which same-sex partners of federal employees may be entitled and is a result of internal reviews conducted by the director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the secretary […]

Exercise Caution When Hiring Teams

In yesterday’s Advisor, we discussed the idea of hiring entire teams instead of individuals. We outlined some of the possible benefits of doing so including increased likelihood of collaboration and less time to full productivity. Today, we’re taking a look at some of the potential drawbacks of this hiring method.

Talking turkey and mulling mediation

by Christopher J. Pyles Many (many) years ago when I was in college, I spent Thanksgiving Day with a bachelor uncle at a football game. In celebration of the season, we bought a frozen turkey on the way home . . . and sadly discovered that you can’t just toss a turkey in the oven […]