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by Al Vreeland We’ve become a nation of firefighters. Not the heroic sort riding red trucks and saving lives, but the frenetic sort running from hot spot to hot spot, handling daily crises in order of priority. And we usually don’t take time to appreciate the people who help us. So as we belly up […]
BusinessWeek magazine ranks the 15 best selling hardcover and paperback business books in March 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 […]
The percentage of 401(k) plan participants borrowing from their retirement accounts has remained steady amid record levels of savings in the accounts, but one data point from Fidelity Investments’ latest quarterly analysis of the thousands of accounts it manages could be cause for concern. According to the retirement plan administrator for 13.5 million 401(k) participants, […]
The most recent drug testing survey published by SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories indicates the number of workers who test positive for drug use is at an all-time low. Only 5.8% of more than 4 million workplace drug tests the company performed in 1996 were positive, a 13% decline from 1995. Of special interest to California […]
The worst-case scenario defending against discrimination claims is the “smoking gun.” (“Too old for this job” written on résumé .) In today’s Advisor, several of the somewhat lesser mistakes that can still shoot your defense to pieces. Fortunately smoking gun evidence is rare. What is common, however, is the type of evidence that, on its […]
Members of Congress are questioning whether the Department of Labor has the authority to require employers to set goals for hiring hiring disabled workers. The inquiry concerns the propriety — and practicality — of proposed rules announced late last year by DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs requiring federal contractors to institute hiring goals. […]
Businesses are going to want to do more than just make sure the lights are turned out when they leave the office this weekend. In anticipation of Hurricane Irene, people all over the East Coast are stocking up on supplies, putting fresh batteries into flashlights and radios, filling up vehicles with gas, moving objects inside […]
As the American workforce ages, the potential for running afoul of age bias laws is increasing for employers. As a result, all employers should consider how they can alter their policies and practices to reduce their risk of getting hit with an age bias suit. One place to begin is to review your hiring practices, […]
Legislation that would repeal health reform rules limiting the reimbursement of over-the-counter medications is inching closer to passage. On June 5, the Restoring Access to Medication Act (H.R. 5842) was placed on the House calendar, so the full House will soon vote on the measure. The Ways and Means Committee on May 31 ordered the […]